Savage
by HavocHound
Summary: When a young lion cub is beaten, cuffed, muzzled, and embarrassed with the words "savage" spray painted on him, Nick and Judy are on the case to find the sick freak who did this. However, things get more complicated when similar attacks continue to happen on predators and suspects to various Pro-Prey groups. Including one lead by a Zebra that made Nick's life a living hell.
1. Chapter 1

_**Yup, finally back with another Zootopia fic. Because of my busy life and the fact that I'm a Paw Patrol fanfic writer first and foremost means I won't be updating this as often as those, but I'll do my best to make it work. Anyway, this one is a lot darker so just be forewarned.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Zootopia**_

* * *

Even though lions were supposed to be used the heat of Sahara Square, Mr. Jonathan Plains was not one of those lions. He supposed it has to do with the fact that his firm had reassigned him to their division in Tundratown years ago and he was now slowly becoming more used to the cold then the heat. Of course, despite the hot weather, he was always up and ready for the day along with his family. His wife was already making eggs and chicken sausages while his teenage daughter was still in her room, yapping with her friends on whatever the latest Tweeter news was.

He shook his head with amusement as he came down the stairs in his home. In his teenage days, when it was summer, he and his friends took the chance to head over to the beach for some fun in the sun. Not sit around watching TV and use the computer. _Modern technology is spoiling our children,_ thought Mr. Plains as he arrived at the table.

"Morning, dear," greeted his lioness wife who poured him a good helping of eggs and kissed his cheek. "The Emerson's called asking if we want to join them for that play that's been out at the theater for the past month."

"Death of a Salesdog? Sure, I enjoy the classics," answered Mr. Plains as he began to dig into his wife's eggs. As he ate, he noticed that there was an empty plate next to him that was reserved for his younger son. "Dear, where is Josh? You know he never misses out on your sausages."

"I've called him three times, but he never answered," said his wife, shrugging as she did the dishes.

Concerned, he got up and walked back to the stairs. Unlike his daughter, Mr. Plains son was always a punctual kind of lion who liked to get things done on time. He was a chip off the old block as his colleagues would say. Opening the door to his son's room, he expected to find him in bed or watching TV for the news, but to his shock there was nobody inside. He checked his closet and even the bathroom, but not even a single fur of his son.

Doing his best not to panic, he walked over to his daughter's room and knocked on the door before opening it. His daughter looked up from her laptop and raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed she was being interrupted. "What?"

"Did your brother come home from his sleepover with the Jefferson's last night?" asked Mr. Plains, praying that his daughter was actually aware of her surroundings that night instead of focusing all her attention on Furbook.

"I don't know. It's not my job to watch over the twerp," growled his daughter before focusing back on her screen.

Although he wanted to say that as the older sibling it _was_ her duty, he refrained from doing so and rushed downstairs. "Jill, did Josh come home from his sleepover last night?"

"Yes, Mr. Jefferson called me and said he dropped off our son a block from our house. I went to bed thinking he would be home a few minutes later," said his wife. "Is… is he in his room?"

"No, I just checked. Did you hear him last night? Are you sure?" asked Mr. Plains, grabbing his wife's shoulders. Now the panic was setting in that every parent had when they didn't know where their child was. He began to fight off all the images of his son lost or hurt so that he could keep his cool. Zootopia may have been the place where anybody could be anything, but it was still dangerous.

"All I heard was some noise in the alley next door, but I figured it was the night trash people," answered his wife, who was slowly turning white. "Should we call the police?"

Mr. Plains didn't answer because he was already running out of the house to check his street. It was mostly a lions and tigers' street though a few other animals lived in the area too. As he came to the alley, he heard something that made his blood turn to ice.

Sobbing.

He had recognized that whimper the first time his son tried to ride a bike and fell, hurting his knee. It was at that moment that Mr. Plains fell into his instincts of being a lion father, and let out a roar to let others know one of the pride had been hurt. He knocked over the trash cans as he ran as fast as he could towards the sound of the crying.

When he arrived, he found his son, but upon doing so he nearly fell over in horror. His brain shut down to the point where all he could see was the image in front of him. His son. His twelve-year-old son was naked, handcuffed, and covered in bruises and cuts. A small puddle of his son's urine was underneath him while his back was covered in black spray paint that spelled one word.

"Savage."

But that was not the worst of it.

The worst was when his son slowly turned to him, shame and fear in his eyes… and a muzzle around his bleeding mouth.

* * *

Ever since her first great adventure in the city known as Zootopia, Officer Judy Hopps had learned a great deal of things that was necessary as a police officer. First, never be late for anything unless you wanted Parking Meter Duty. Two, paperwork was the worst thing you would ever had to deal with but it was better to get it over with then let it sit in your desk and build up. Third, last one in always got the donuts. And finally, never go anywhere without your partner.

For Judy, her partner had to be one of the most annoying ones on the face of the planet. "Nick will you just pick already!" shouted Judy as she glanced at the clock. They only had ten more minutes to get to work or else Chief Bogo was going to chew them out for it… again!

"Patience, Carrots." Nick replied as he shook his finger while his tail swished back and forth. "Such important decisions cannot be rushed."

"Nick, it's coffee. You only get two types anyway so just choose one!" shouted Judy, rubbing her temples. She could already see the amusement on the faces of the other patrons of Stagbucks. They were regulars here and it was a bit annoying that they were the opening entertainment to their day.

"Alright, Carrots. I'll take a Grande cappuccino with roasted Porto Ratico beans. Extra milk," ordered Nick.

"Coming right up," said the cat cashier as she punched it in her register.

Judy sighed with relief as Nick soon got his coffee and the two rushed to their car. Well, more accurate it was Nick's beat up old car. If it wasn't for the fact that he had the keys, Judy would have left him a long time ago. Okay, she really wouldn't, but she was always frustrated that he did this to her. Unlike her, he didn't mind working in parking because it was a chance to be lazy.

That didn't mean Nick was always lazy. He was in fact, just as good as a detective as Judy. In the two and a half years they had worked together, they had quickly become one of the top officers in not just the precinct but also of Zootopia in general. They had solved more crimes together then most rookies do in five years and they were starting to get noticed more and more because of it. Of course the real reward was that she was living her dream and helping animals alongside her best friend in the world.

"You know, Carrots," said Nick as he sipped on his coffee. "You need to relax. It's Friday after all, we got the weekend after this and I for one plan to take advantage of it."

"I know, but you know how much I hate being late, Nick," said Judy with a small smile. She knew her partner never really went out of his way to "antagonize" her. It was just part of his charm.

"Yeah, but don't worry. Parking duty isn't going to be ours. It's going to Emeril and Daniels," stated Nick as if it was a fact.

"How do you know that?" asked Judy, raising an eyebrow as they stopped at a stop light.

"Emeril and Daniels were caught making out," said Nick with a wide smile.

"So? Police regulations are okay with partners dating," said Judy.

"Yeah, but making out and getting halfway naked on the Chief's desk?" asked Nick, doing his best to hold his laughter upon seeing the red blush on Judy's face. "I swear if it wasn't for the fact that we were patrolling, I would have recorded the whole blowout when Bogo walked in."

"How did you hear about this?" asked Judy.

"Clawhauser," answered Nick and Judy's curiosity was easily put to rest. That cheetah had to be the most gossiping cat that Judy had ever met. "Anyway, so I figured even if we are a bit late, the Chief is still going to be so pissed off at those two that we're going to be in the clear for once."

"Fine, but if we do end up late I pick the movie for this weekend," said Judy, smirking.

"As long as it's not a Tale of Two Bunnies… again, I'm perfectly fine with that."

* * *

They didn't arrive late; in fact, they were two minutes early upon punching in. Ben Clawhauser was right there, eating his fifth box of donuts when his two friends showed up and we waved at them. "Hey, guys! You'll never guess what just happened!" shouted the cheetah with excitement.

"Let me guess, they decided to lower the cost of the snack machines by twenty-five cents?" joked Nick, which earned him an elbow from Judy.

"Nope! Wrong! Although that would be just as thrilling," said Ben. "My sister is having another baby! A girl actually!"

"Aw, that's so cute, Clawhauser," said Judy with a wide smile.

"This is her fourth one, right?" asked Nick as he shook the cheetah's paw.

"Yup! Jen has never been so excited except for when Brittney was born. Or when Jack was. Or when Oliva was too. Oh who am I kidding, she was excited for all of them. Oh, you will help me plan for the baby shower won't you?!" he begged while giving them the puppy eyes.

"Sure, if there isn't anything on TV," said Nick, again with another elbow to the stomach. "I mean, yes we will."

"Great! Oh, I better let you guys get into the bullpen. See ya! Talk later!" said Ben as the two nodded and walked away.

"You think he's going to convince his sister to name the kid after Gazelle like last time?" asked Nick.

"Just as much as I think she's going to tell him she will when he starts going to a gym," said Judy, remembering the expression on Ben's face when she did so.

The two chatted with a few of their co-workers in the bullpen before taking their seats. Chief Bogo soon entered and all chatter stopped before he stood inform of his podium. "Okay, I know its Friday and all, but we got work to do and I don't want any lazy paws out there. First off, I'm getting a new desk for… reasons…" He muttered and glared at the two blushing wolves in the back while a few of the other officers grinned the pair. "Second," his expression turned grim, "we have a possible 428."

The entire atmosphere in the room turned cold in a split second. A few officers growled and showed their fangs. Even Judy and Nick were narrowing their eyes. A 428 meant a possible child abuse or molestation.

Chief Bogo nodded to a ram in uniform who turned off the lights. A picture came up showing a twelve-year-old lion wearing a baseball uniform for his school's team. "This is Josh Plains, age twelve. This morning his family found him naked in an alley next to their home. He was beaten badly with bruises all over him while stripped to nothing. He was also handcuffed and… well, he was found with a muzzle on his face."

Judy heard Nick gasp and she quickly grabbed his paw with her own. She looked at him with worry as he stared at the next picture with eyes full of fright. A muzzle. One that was covered in blood that had to be Josh's. Judy could already see the flashbacks in Nick's eyes of when he was just about the same age where a bunch of prey kids forced a muzzle on him when all he wanted to do was join the Junior Ranger Scouts. Judy was the first one he ever told that story to. Not even Finnick, his longtime partner in crime, had known about the story. It was one of Nick's darkest moments in life, and the day he gave up on being anything but a criminal fox.

She squeezed his paw, to let him know that she was there for him. He broke away from the images and stared into her violet and caring eyes. He softened a little and nodded in thanks before the Chief continued. "Currently, he's being treated at Pride Rock's General Hospital. We don't know if he was sexually abused, but we can rule this a hate crime."

"How so, sir?" asked one officer.

Chief Bogo then pulled up another clip. This one making Judy gasp with horror and sent a tear dripping down her cheek. On the back of the young lion's body was a single word in black spray pain. "Savage."

"This case is now the top problem we have to deal with. I want to know who wishes to-"

"I want this case, Chief!"

Everyone in the room turned in surprise towards Nick as he stood up with the most serious look anybody had ever seen from him. He looked ready to hunt somebody down and spill blood doing so. It was the most determined expression Judy had ever seen from him. "Sir, I… I need this case. Please."

Chief Bogo raised his eyebrow. "I'm surprised, Wilde. Normally, Hopps is the one whose begging for the cases. However, I can see the fire in your eyes and I'm granting it to you and Hopps. Jordon and Pond? You two are also on this case. Head out and do what you can."

Judy and Nick saluted along with a male lion and female elephant. The four walked out as Jordon, the lion who had a very red mane and scar over his right lip smirked at Nick. "So Wilde, what's got you so focused on this case."

Nick, not resorting a sarcastic comeback for once, said, "It's personal alright."

"Okay, so we need to check out the crime scene while also questioning the victim and his family. Which do you guys want?" asked Judy, wanting to get to work straight away. The thought that the monster who did this to that poor lion cub was still free with every second passing my made her want to find him or her as soon as possible and throw the book at them. Hard.

"I'm a lion so it might be easier to talk to one of their own for them. No offence, Hopps, but you're a prey type and chances are prey did this. So they might not be eager to talk to you," replied Jordon.

Judy nodded. As much as she would like to comfort the poor cub and reassure the family that she would solve the case, the fact that any prey, even a bunny, was suspect to this wouldn't make things easier. However, before she could agree, Nick suddenly asked, "Mind if I go with you? Pond and Carrots can check out the scene while I help with the questioning."

"Are you sure?" asked Pond in surprise. Judy was just as surprised as well. Never once had Nick requested a different partner.

"Yeah, you okay with that, Judy?" asked Nick to his bunny friend.

Now Judy knew he was serious. He only ever used her real name when he was. Nodding, Judy answered, "It's fine. I wanna check out the scene anyway."

"Okay, we'll report when we finish. Meet you in garage, Nick," said Jordon as he and Pond took off.

Now that they were alone, Judy placed a paw on her friend's arm and asked, "Are you okay with this, Nick?"

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Honestly, I just want to go home. But the fact that a cub is going through the same crap I went through only worse? No, I have to be part of this case, Judy. I need to let that cub know everything is going to be okay."

Before Judy knew it, she was hugging him much to his surprise as he blushed. "Okay, but if you need me, call me. Remember, Nick. I'm always there for you."

"Yeah, I know," he replied with a smile before slowly pushing her off. "Now enough of the hugs, it's not mainly for a police officer."

He turned away to go join Jordon when Judy called out, "Nick!" he turned around as she nodded to him with a determined look on her face. "We'll find who did this, Nick. I promise."

Nick nodded back and said, "Yeah, and whoever it that animal is will wish we put a muzzle on them."


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: Nothing to say. Enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Zootopia.**_

* * *

Riding with a different partner other then Judy felt really weird for Nick. There weren't the usual snarky remarks they gave each other or paws fighting for control of the radio station. Just him and Officer Jordon siting quietly as they drove for the hospital. The silence unnerved Nick. Even when there was nothing to do on patrol, there was some kind of conversation he was having with Judy.

"So, Nick," said Officer Jordon, leaning back on his seat as he waited for the light to turn red at a stop. "So what's going on between you and Judy?"

"What do you mean?" asked Nick, raising his eyebrow behind his shade.

"I mean are you dating her or something?" asked Officer Jordon, making Nick's head turn 180. "I mean their's a pool going on about how close you guys are. Some are saying you gonna date soon and some are saying you're already dating."

"W-what?! N-n-no! Judy and I… we're… well…" For the first time in his life, Nick was short on words. Clearing his throat, he turned away to avoid the lion checking out his blush. "We're best friends! If we act close it's because we just care about each other."

Jordon just chuckled as the light turned green. "If you say so. I have nothing against it, man. It's just you seem like _really_ close as Clawhauser puts it."

"I swear I'm going to murder him," grumbled Nick. "Or better yet, I'll just squish his donuts."

Since he started working for the ZPD, all he ever did was hang out with Judy. She was really the only close friend he had left in the world. After telling all his friends from his 'old life' that he was going straight as a cop, they parted ways after one last goodbye bash. They made sure it was memorable, because the next time any of them would met they would be on opposite sides of the law. Thankfully, Nick hadn't run into them since he started and hoped it would stay that way.

That left him with Judy as his only friend. He had no more family with his father leaving his mother before he was born and his mom dying of cancer when he was sixteen. Occasionally, he would hang out with Clawhauser or some of the other guys at the station for a drink or poker night. But in the end, Judy was the center of his life.

 _I guess I can see why others would think that,_ thought Nick as he sighed. _Me and Judy, huh?_

He tried to picture him and Carrots going out on dates. Looking at her big, cute eyes with wide eyed enthusiasm that never seemed to end. Her shining smile that was as big as her heart. Her fluffy tail as it bounced while she walk-

 _Gah! Images! Images!_ Cried out Nick, mentally hitting himself with a hammer. _Don't think that way about your best friend. Focus on the case._

He got his wish as he soon found himself staring at the hospital where Josh Plains was being treated.

* * *

Nick hated hospitals with a passion. They held bad memories for him such as when he had to get treated for stitches after the muzzling incident. It also reminded him of his final days caring for his mother before she passed away. Her last words to him were to be good, but to his shame he wasn't for a long time. He had just been so bitter and depressed he just gave up trying to be different that day and went to become what he thought the world would only see him as: a criminal. Every time he thought about his mother, he thought about his broken promise to her, and felt that guilt grows each time. Judy gave him a chance to make that promise a reality and he was going to keep it this time for good so that when he died and saw his mom up in heaven, she could smile at him with pride.

Still, despite his misgivings, he had a job to do and a kid to help. After getting instructions from the nurse, the two officers found themselves in a waiting room where Josh's family was. The three lions looked like they had been through a nightmare with the father comforting his crying wife while looking weak at the knees. The older sister was in some kind of trance by the way she gazed at the wall with her wide eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Plains?" asked Jordon, introducing himself first. "I'm Officer Jordon of the ZPD First Precinct. This is my partner, Officer Wilde." Nick nodded in greeting. "We've been assigned to handle your son's case. Do you mind if we ask some questions while also talking to your son?"

"W-we don't mind, but our son…" Mr. Plains shook his head and growled. "He won't talk to anybody. Not me, his mother, or the doctors. He just wraps blankets around himself and wants to be alone. We've tried everything, but he's just not responding…"

"My little cub… my sweet baby cub…" whispered Mrs. Plains, crying into her paws. "How… how could they do this to him?"

"Do you have any idea who might want to do this to your son?" asked Nick, trying to find some kind of angle. "Anybody that has a personal issue with your family or somebody he knows at school?"

"No, my family hasn't done wrong to anybody," said Mr. Plains, shaking his head. "I work at an _engineering firm and my wife is short story writer. Josh has never said anything to us about bullies or anything."_

Nick bit his lip. _Figures, no straight forward angle._

"I still need to ask a few more questions," said Officer Jordon.

"You go ahead, I'll talk to Josh," said Nick, walking towards the double doors.

"Are you sure you can get him to open up?" asked Jordon.

"Trust me," said Nick as he looked back. "I know, better than either of us, what he's going through."

It was almost like looking at a mirror to the past. Only instead of a shamed and scared fox kit was a lion cub. Memories of that horrible day came back in drones, but Nick pushed them away to focus on the task at hand. While he continued to watch Josh, rocking back and forth on his bed, through the window a badger doctor was giving him what they knew.

"Multiple bruises and some scratch marks. I'd say they ambushed him and beat him up before doing… god knows what," muttered the doctor with a shiver. "The muzzle they put on him cut deep, we had to put him on a setadive just to calm him down and work with him. He'll make a full recovery physically, but mentally…"

Nick didn't need him to continue to know that this was going to scar him for life. "Was he… was he raped?"

"We don't know," said the doctor, looking at his charts. "We didn't find any fluid on his body except for his own urine and his… anal cavity didn't seem to be penetrated at first glance. There was some bruising in his genital areas, but we can't do a full examination of a rape kit unless he allows us, which he refuses to do. He's scared and confused. I've called for a psychologist to come talk to him."

"It's alright," said Nick, taking a deep breath. "I think I know how to get through to him."

Opening the door, Nick slowly entered the room. Josh took a few seconds to glance at him before turning back to the wall. Nick waited for some time to pass before he walked over to the opposite wall and leaned against it. "Hey." No response. "My name is Officer Nick Wilde. You can just call me Nick though. Okay, Josh?"

No response again.

"That's cool. You don't have to say anything," said Nick as he got closer to the bed. "You're parents are worried about you. You're lucky to have a family that loves you."

He sat down, his back against Josh as Nick took time to think about what to say next. He knew that Josh wanted to shut everything out. To just forget what happened and not talk about it. The problem was it never goes away, no matter how old you get. He had to tell Josh he _knows_ what he's going through and there is only one way.

"You know what the worst part is when they put it on your face?" asked Nick, taking a sigh. "It's the cold steel. The feeling of ice that chills your skin and bones so that it forces you to struggle. The more you struggle. The tighter it gets." This made Josh freeze. "You find yourself unable to breath. Unable to see well. You feel everything boxing in and your heart starts pounding so hard against your ribs you feel it's going to burst." Slowly, he reached over and took the cub's paw, squeezing it. "You feel like you're in a cage. Powerless and taken over by fear and shame. You're blaming yourself for what happened. You feel weak and embarrassed… but you want to know something?" He turned around just as he looked into the teary-eyed expression of a scared kid. "It's not your fault. No matter how much a part of your brain is telling you. It's not your fault."

A second later, the cub was bawling against his chest. Nick held him as close as he could and let the little lion cry it out.

* * *

"It was five of them," whispered Josh as he had one paw holding his mother's. He had asked for his family after crying his tears out for nearly twenty minutes. After giving them some time alone, Josh said he was ready to talk. He glanced at Nick who nodded for him to continue. "I… I was walking home after being dropped off… I heard something, but I figured it was just some rats getting garbage. They do that sometimes in our neighborhood." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "They came at me from behind. Hit me in the head and started beating me up. I didn't get a chance to scream. They… d-d-dragged me to the alley. That's when… that's when they put the muzzle on me… I tried to scream, but I couldn't…"

 _Bastards…_ thought Nick, growling in anger.

"They… they called me names… mostly savage… I got beat up… the stripped me… kicked me in my… privates… I pe-e-e-ed…" he started to hyperventilate, but his mother and father rubbed his back to soothe him.

"We can take a break if you want," suggested Jordon.

"N-No… I want… I want them found…" muttered Josh, taking a few deep breaths. "I didn't get a good look at them, but I could tell their races… One was as big as an elephant… one was small like a beaver I think… another was a rabbit… and a fourth was a zebra… I can't remember the last one… I just passed out after that… when I woke up… Dad found me…"

Jordon nodded as he wrote down the last of the information. "I think this is enough for now. We'll come by tomorrow to ask more questions, but I think this is enough. Don't worry Jordon, we'll find the adults who did this and put them away."

"… it wasn't adults…" whispered Josh, getting all eyes focused on him as he looked up. "Their voices… I could tell… they were kids like me."


	3. Chapter 3

When Pond and Judy arrived at the scene, CSI was already finishing up their work. They had searched every area of the crime scene and found a few hairs, the spot where Josh had peed, his torn off clothes, and lots of trash. Judy was glad she never decided to join in forensics since they would have to go through all that trash thoroughly in the labs. Pond suggested that since the CSI had searched the area for clues they could interview neighbors to see if there were any witnesses to the crime.

Thankfully, most were willing to talk, but very few of them had anything to say that night. The most Judy got was that they all heard some trashcans banged about at night but thought nothing of it. Many were wishing they did. They all had nice things to say about Josh and his family, with Judy having to promise more than once that they would do everything they could to catch whoever did this.

Taking a break from interviews, she walked past the police tape and stared at the spot where the crime itself happened. Just being there, right were Josh was attacked and forced to be treated like some monster when he was only just an innocent kid. Her tiny paw clenched into a fist so tight she might have been squeezing blood out of it. She had seen plenty of scum in her time as a cop, but hurting a child? That put the criminals on the top of her shit list.

"Yo! Hopps! Get over here!"

Shaken out of her thoughts, Judy walked over to the other side of the street where Pond was interviewing an elderly looking lion in a pink jacket and cane. "This is Ms. Tarik. She says she saw something last night."

"I rushed her as fast as these old bones could when I learned what happened to poor Josh," replied Ms. Tarik, shaking her head. "This city is getting more violent each year. Used to be safe for our kids to walk down the street. Now they get jumped on by hooligans."

"Could you tell us what you saw?" asked Judy, taking out her carrot pen and paper pad while Pond had her own pen out.

"I was coming down from my bathroom after a hot shower to get some water before heading to bed," started Ms. Tarik. "When I noticed young Josh walking down the street. Behind him were some kids that I didn't recognize."

"Wait, kids?" asked Judy, eyes wide. "We're there any adults in the area?"

"No, they didn't look to be adults. Teenagers maybe some of them. They were all hooded so I couldn't see their faces or races, but they were of various sizes."

Judy bit her lip. _Kids did this? They did this to another kid their own age? Maybe younger?_ This changed everything in the investigation. Judy had thought this was some pervert or anti-predator nut job, but a gang of children made this a whole different story. _Could this be a gang initiation? Is 'Savage' a code word for their group instead of a racial slur?_

"I thought at first they were Josh's friends. He's very popular at his school," continued Ms. Tarik, shaking her head. "If only I didn't assume so much or at least call his mother to let him know he was on his way. Maybe this all could have been avoided."

"Ma'am, you didn't know what would happen. Please don't blame yourself," replied Hopps which made Ms. Tarik growl.

"Don't you worry about that. The only ones I blame are those thugs. I swear if they ever cross this street again I'll show them how I survived the Great War in the first place," swore the elder lioness.

"Was there anything you can tell us about the gang? What they were wearing?" asked Officer Pond.

"Nothing that well. They wore dark clothing and it was night… but there was something. There were three initials… three P's I think."

"P's?" asked Judy, writing it down.

"Yes, though I don't know what it means."

Closing her pad, Judy nodded and smiled. "Thank you for your help. We'll be sure to be in contact if we need any more information."

Ms. Tarik nodded and slowly made her way back to the steps of her apartment. Sighing, Pond rubbed her head and cursed. "Children doing this? Shit, this is gonna get complicated."

"Yeah," whispered Judy. "I just can't see this happening in Zootopia. I mean I know bullying exists… but to have this happen?"

"Most crimes kids and teens get into here are just shoplifting, graffiti, or the occasional GTA," muttered Pond as she and Judy made their way back to the police car. "There was a school shooting a few years ago… wasn't a pretty moment and the entire city mourned for days. I just hope we're not going to see more of these attacks on kids in the future."

"What do you think we're looking at?" asked Judy, getting in the passenger seat with a small booster to help her see.

"At best? We're looking at some bullies who wanted to humiliate the lion cub. At worst? We're seeing a gang that's gonna attack again," answered Pond.

"We'll stop them. It's our duty as ZPD to do so," affirmed Judy which made Pond chuckle.

"You know, Hopps. I gotta admit. I didn't think you'd do so well here in our ranks when you first joined, although I did give ya credit for trying your best… even if you were totally obsessed with proving yourself," said Pond as she turned on the car and made for the next street.

Blushing, Judy remembered just how much trouble she caused on her first few days and how she almost got fired for breaking protocol. Looking back now, she realized that Chief Bogo had a point about following orders. "I just wanted to show everyone I could be an officer too."

"Listen, even if you didn't manage to solve that case with the Nighthowlers, you would have made a good cop. You just needed to give it a year or two. You're not the first rookie to come in all gun-ho thinking they were going to change the world. You would have adapted over time and we would have gotten used to you, rabbit or not," said Pond, smirking at the rabbit. "Of course, Wilde is a different story. I'll admit. I would never have thought of a fox working for the cops."

"Don't tell me you buy that all foxes are criminals too?" asked Judy.

Pond snickered. "No, I don't. I had a fox for a friend when I was in school. We're still friends, but he lives outside of Zootopia. I just never thought they would _trust_ us to become one of us. Guess you really changed Nick's life around with that little adventure you had."

"He changed me too," whispered Judy as she closed her eyes and smiled. The truth was Nick opened her eyes just as she opened his. She realized that deep down she was just as prejudiced as others all while fighting against her own prejudiced. He helped her realized that part of herself that she denied and managed to rekindle their friendship. At the same time, she helped him find meaning in himself again and to have faith that he could be more then he could be. "It's why we're such perfect partners and friends. No offence of course."

"None taken," said Pond, stopping at a light. "Although, I do have to ask though. Why was Wilde so determined to take this case? I've never seen him so… serious before."

Judy looked away, glancing at the corner of the street they were on. "I can't tell you. It's personal for Nick."

"Fair enough, we all got our secrets," answered Pond. "But you have to ask me this one question."

"Which is?" asked Judy, raising an eyebrow.

"When are you finally going to stop staring at his ass when he isn't looking and ask him out?" asked Pond, smirking at the sight of Judy's eyes widening and her cheeks turning red. "Oh, come on? You think some of us didn't notice? You're more obvious than a hormone teenager discovering her first crush. You have something deep inside for him, don't you?"

Judy thought of just shouted denial after denial, but the look in Pond's eyes made it clear she wouldn't believe a second of it. Cursing herself, Judy lowered her head and sighed. "I… I feel something… but I don't know what it is…" Judy smiled upon thinking about Nick in the hidden light she only thought about when she was alone. "You have to understand… growing up I was never interested in boys. All that mattered to me was achieving my dream of being a cop. I thought it was also best to not get personally involved in romance even after I became one."

"Why not? Don't you want to find a special someone? Maybe have a family? You rabbits are famous for that after all," pointed out Pond as the light turn green and she stepped on the gas.

"Yes, but what I'm too busy to take care of that lover of mine? What if I end up dead during patrol and leave them with a lifetime of grief?" asked Judy. "I thought it would be best to be single for the rest of my life… but then when Nick became an officer and we spent more time together… something… clicked I guess."

"… You want my advice, Judy? One girl to another?" asked Pond to which Judy looked up and nodded. "Tell him and try it out. You only live once in this world and you don't want to have any regrets before you die. Maybe nothing will come from you and Nick going out, but maybe it might be the best thing you'll ever have."

"… Try everything, right?" asked Judy, with a smile.

"Yup," said Pond. "By the way, I suggest Mario Balto's for dinner. Just drop my name, the owner owes me a favor."

"Thanks, Pond. Maybe we can hang out some more," suggested Judy.

"I'd like that. Now let's head back to HQ and see what Nick and Jordon found."

Judy nodded as she settled back, trying to think of the case but now all she could think about was her and Nick on a date.


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN: Sorry it took so long to update this. Holidays and all were busy for me. Enjoy.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia.**_

* * *

"So, we have a bunch of kids, all prey types, who ganged up on a lion, and the only thing we know is race and jackets with three 'P's on them," grumbled Bogo, glaring at this paperwork while his four officers stood in attention. He took off his glasses and placed them on his desk before looking up. "Wilde, do you know any gang in the city that has that kind of signature? This could be an initiation."

"First off, if it is a gang then they aren't any I have heard before," said Nick before snorting. "Second, no real criminal gang except for gangster wannabe's wears their colors or logos out. The whole point is to not get the cops attention."

"Maybe it belongs to a school team? Or a club of some sorts?" asked Office Jordon.

"There are hundreds of schools in Zootopia, and let's not even get started on the number of clubs both private and public," grumbled Bogo as he leaned back on his chain. "News has already hit about this. I got news crews, pro-predator groups, and the Mayor asking questions. I don't have enough answers so I need more."

"Josh gave us everything he had. I doubt he can remember that much more," said Nick.

"And Pond and I interviewed everyone on the block. I doubt we'll find witnesses," replied Judy.

"Then we look elsewhere. Wilde, Hopps, you two check out Josh's school. See if there was any problems with him and his classmates." Chief Bogo raised an eyebrow. "Unless you wish to switch partners again."

"Well, I was getting used to not having to hear Judy's singing when a song she likes comes on," joked Nick with a grin which earned him a punch in the arm.

"And I was just getting used to not having to hear your voice, Nick," quipped Judy, but couldn't hide the smirk on her face.

The four officers had a snort laugh until Bogo huffed and snapped them back to attention. He eyed them a bit for extra intimidation before containing, "As I was saying. Wilde. Hopps. You check out the school. Jordon and Pond, you interview the Jefferson's. They were the last to talk to Josh before the attack. Maybe they saw something, or someone, following them, or Josh, before they left him alone on the street. Dismissed."

The four saluted before exiting the Chief's room. Pond and Jordon wished their fellow officers good luck before making in the opposite direction for some coffee. Nick and Judy instead made for the elevator that would take them to their cruiser. The two were silent until they got into the elevator and pressed the down button. Once the doors were closed, Judy looked at Nick and asked, "You okay?"

"… I honestly don't know," whispered Nick, sighing as he shut his eyes. "Seeing Josh in the state he was in? God, Carrots, it was like looking into a mirror." Voice trembling, he rubbed his temple as the images of that horrible night flooded his head. "I just want to catch them. I don't care if they are kids, I want them to know what they did was wrong."

Judy nodded and reached out for Nick's paw, something that made them both blush. Staring into her partner's eyes, Judy's ever determined stare looked deep inside of him which brought a soothing comfort to his mind. "We'll find them, Nick."

A smile decorated Nick's face which was followed by one from Judy. Just then, the elevator bell rang and the doors opened for one surprised Officer McHorn. The two quickly separated their paws and straightened out while doing their best to fight their blush. Raising an eyebrow, the experience officer asked, "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, nothing. Nothing was interrupted. Right, Carrots?"

"Yup, all peachy clean. Just waiting to reach our level. Right, Nick?"

"Oh, yes. It was just simple waiting."

"Right."

The eyebrow didn't go down as the three continued to stand in awkward silence. Finally, Judy looked at her nonexistent watch and said, "Well, look at the time. Gotta get to work. Let's go, Nick."

"Right behind ya, Carrots," answered Nick as the two scuttled off.

McHorn continued to stand there long after they had left. He then snorted. "Seriously, how long are those two gonna wait?"

* * *

Despite it being a Sunday, St. Anima's Middle School was still open for its various clubs. The Principle also happened to be in the building as well as some of the teachers, each of which oversaw the clubs individually. Principle Duma was right there waiting for Judy and Nick before leading them through the school's hallway with the sounds of basketballs bouncing off the court echoing in the hall.

"Don't mind the noise," answered the moose as she guided them through the halls. "Our basketball team is training for the semi-finals next week. Coach has them working overtime."

"Was Josh involved in any sports?" asked Judy.

"No, he was in the Book Club and Video Game Club," answered Principle Duma, shaking her head. "Despite being a lion, he wasn't much of an athlete like his father was in his younger days. His skills were more in the terms of creativity and design. I think he gets it from his mother."

"Sounds like you know Josh and his family personally," asked Nick, paws in his pockets as he observed the area.

"His father and I went to the same high school together. Not close friends, but we knew each other," answered Principle Duma as they stopped in front of her office door. Opening it, she let the officers in first before she closed the door. "Trust me when I say that this is something I cannot believe even happened. Josh and the Plain's are a good family. Hardly a bother to anyone." She offered two seats for Nick and Judy before sitting behind her desk. "We haven't told the students yet out of respect for Josh and his family's privacy. Although, I doubt the news will keep it down for long." She leaned forward. "Do you have a suspect yet?"

"We were hoping you could help us with that," answered Judy.

"Anything I can do."

"Did Josh have any bullies? Maybe somebody who didn't like him because he was a predator?" asked Nick.

"No, Josh was well liked. One thing I do not tolerate is bullying, we honestly have one of the lowest numbers in bully related incidents in the city. It happens, but the students lookout for each other here," answered the principle which only made Nick and Judy sigh for the lack of a lead. Her eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying one of my students did this?"

"We don't know who specifically," answered Judy. "We do have confirmation from both Josh and another witness that it was indeed five suspects between ages twelve and fourteen who attacked him." She took out her notepad and read it out loud. "A beaver, elephant, zebra, rabbit, and the fifth one was unidentified. All of whom were wearing jackets with three 'P's on them."

Principle Duma's eyes lit up. "Did you say a jacket with three 'P's on them?"

Leaning forward, Nick asked, "Does that ring a bell?"

She nodded and got up where she walked up to a board that had a bunch of fliers on them. Looking carefully, she picked a green one and showed it to Judy and Nick. The former read it out loud, "The Public Prey Protection club?"

"It's a club that is composed of prey's who stand up for each other and protect themselves against predators," said Principle Duma, sighing. "There hasn't been any trouble from them at all. They mostly help in charities or spread ideas to various prey on how to avoid being attacked by predators wishing to harm them." She raised her hoof. "Before you say anything, they aren't racists or anything of that sort. I have had no complaints about them from either students, teachers, or faculty. Trust me, after the Night Howler Incident, we've made sure to put equal focus on prey against predator mistreatment as we do with predator against prey. If they were doing anything wrong, I would have shut it down a long time ago.'

A knock on the door and a male wolf popped his head in. "Principle Duma's? Coach Whiskers needs to see you."

Principle Duma nodded before getting up. "Sorry, but I'm needed. Is there anything else I can do?"

"Can you tell us where we might find members of the club?" asked Judy.

"Well they aren't in school today, but from what their overview has said to me they like to hang out at this arcade and pizza place off of the corner of Wilson and Branch?"

"I know the place," said Nick before getting up and shaking the moose's hoof. "Thanks for your help, Ma'am."

"No worries, and please find whoever did this," said the principle before she followed her fellow co-worker out of the room.

"So, what do you think?" asked Judy as she looked at the flier.

"A bunch of members maybe took 'defending the prey' as context to 'attacking the predator'?" suggested Nick as he smirked. "Whatever happened to the good old days of bullying when all you had to worry was a bad wedgie up your crack and a swirly with a used toilet?"

"Ew, gross," grunted Judy as she got off her chair and made for the door. "Let's try finding this club first and see if we can get where they were last night."

"Shall we spend a few quarters while we're there? Haven't played Super Mousio in a while now," stated Nick as they exited the room.

* * *

It didn't take them long to arrive at the pizza place. Nick and Judy walked in as they tried to avoid the little ones who were scrambling everywhere to get pizza, play arcade games, or cash in their tickets for prizes. A few birthday parties were being held with employees running around with hot food, cold drinks, and tons of dirty dishes at the various tables all numbered and lettered. It didn't even help that there was annoying tween music playing that had all the kids wild up and dancing in small groups.

"Sheez, this place is a parent's worst nightmare," said Nick, narrowly avoiding getting his tail stomped on by some mischievous piglets.

"Easy place to lose your kid?" asked Judy.

"More like easy place to lose your sanity," replied Nick as he nodded to one ox mother who was tearing her hair out while the wild little six and seven-year old's ran around while firing squirt guns.

Judy gigged a bit before she saw a fellow rabbit employee walking past her with a tray of drinks. Getting in front of him, she politely asked, "Excuse me. Can I have a moment of your time?"

"Look, I got five tables to deliver orders to. Can it wait?" the annoyed bunny replied.

"Afraid it cannot," said Judy, pulling out her badge.

The waiter sighed and straighten himself out. "How can I help you, officers?"

"You know where we can find the Public Prey Protection club?" asked Judy.

"Lucas and his friends? Yeah, they're at table A30. Always coming in every week and taking that one for their little meetings. Something wrong?" asked the waiter.

"Just a friend of the family called to ask us to check up on them," lied Nick. He then patted the rabbit, who look disturbed by this fact, and pushed him along. "Now go feed those scamps more sugar drinks so they can run up the walls."

The rabbit grumbled upon hearing this and was soon lost to the crowds. Heading towards A30, they could already see about fifteen young prey types hanging out and eating pizza together with smiles on their faces. They were all different prey races like rabbit, mouse, lamb, sheep, elephant, giraffe and so forth, but one thing they all had on were purple and black jackets that had three purple "P's" on them with various colored silhouette of prey races circled around the letters.

Eventually, they took notice of the cops and began to whisper to one another as Nick and Judy stopped in front of them. It took a moment for the two to remind themselves that some of them, despite their innocent looking behavior, were responsible for attacking a child, stripping him, and locking a muzzle on his mouth. A deer, who had to be the same age as Josh, got up and addressed the officers with both respect and curiosity. "Can I help you guys?"

"You the Public Prey Protection club?" asked Judy, looking up at the child deer's face and finding nothing criminal or fearful in his eye that made her suspect him.

"Yes, I'm the club leader. My name is Lucas Bighorn. Are we in trouble?" asked Lucas, biting his lips.

"We're not sure yet," said Nick with a grin that showed his teeth a bit. Just as he wanted, it made some of the smaller members of the club inch away from the grinning fox and shake with worry.

"Do you mind we have a few minutes to talk to you, Lucas?" asked Judy.

"O-of course," replied Lucas.

"You go ahead and talk to him, Carrots," said Nick as he took a seat nearby with his arms crossed. "I'll just wait until you come back. That way none of his friends leave early."

Although a part of her wanted to tell Nick to ease up on the kids, he did have a good point in watching them. If they both talked to Lucas and one of the others were involved, they could make a run for it. Nodding to her partner, Judy guided Lucas to the mini-golf room where there wasn't anybody inside due to it not being open yet.

With a place to themselves, Lucas first asked, "Is your partner going to hurt my friends? He seems a little tense…"

Judy gave Lucas the most assured smile she could. "Officer Wilde, won't do anything to your friends. He's one of my best friends and I trust him with my life." She then removed the smile and got serious. "Now, I need to answer me honestly here, Lucas. Did you know a Josh Plain?"

"Josh? Yeah, we're friends," replied Lucas in surprise.

"You are?" asked Judy.

"We've known each other since we were in kindergarten. We aren't as close as we used to be, but we still hangout and such from time to time. He's a nice friend to have," said Lucas before his eyes widened. "Wait, did something happen to him?"

Judy bit her lip. He didn't seem to be lying and the concerned tone he was giving seemed genuine. "I'm sorry, Lucas. Josh was attacked last night by some kids. He's okay!" she quickly said upon seeing his horrified face. "He's currently in the hospital, but he'll be okay."

"W-what did they do to him?" asked Lucas, holding his breath.

"They… beat him up. Stripped him naked. Muzzled him." This mad Lucas tear up and Judy wanted to stop, but it was best to get every reaction possible. "And they wrote on his back in spray paint."

"Oh, Josh…" sobbed Lucas as he covered his eyes with his paws. Judy, feeling sorry for the little deer, wrapped her arms around him and let him cry on his shoulder. "It's all my fault… they did this because of me…"

"Lucas?" asked Judy, eyes widened. "D-do you know why Josh was attacked."

"Isn't it obvious?!" shouted Lucas, holding face with one paw while sobbing. "They must have seen us coming out of the movie theater… I shouldn't have kissed him…"

"Wait, hold on," Judy shook her head and took his shoulders by her paws. "Are you saying… you and Josh were a couple?"

"… for three weeks now," whispered Lucas, sighing. "I've… had an attraction to Josh since last year. Josh was curious of trying it out when I told him on the big field trip last month. We've kept it private and short dates mostly… two days ago, we shared our first kiss."

"Does his family know?" asked Judy, rubbing her temples.

"No, and neither does mine," replied Lucas. "It's bad enough I'm dating and might be in love with a predator, but the fact that he's a boy like me? I don't know how our parents would react." He then growled and kicked the ground in frustration. "But it doesn't matter now. They know! That's why they attacked him! I bet they wrote the word 'faggot' on him, right?!"

"Actually," said Judy, "I don't think that's why he was attacked. The writing on his back was 'savage' not anything gay related."

This made Lucas ease up on his crying as he blinked a few times. "Are you saying that Josh was attacked because he's a predator?"

"Yes, and we suspect somebody in your club was behind it," said Judy.

"Why would you think that?" asked Lucas, raising an eyebrow. "Our club isn't dedicated to violence. We protect prey from predators true, but it was formed as mainly an anti-bully group."

"Because the ones who attacked Josh were wearing the same jackets you guys are wearing," said Judy which earned her the wide eyes of Lucas. "I know this comes to a shock, but-"

"It's still wasn't any of them," said Lucas, but a bit quieter. Judy was about to say something, but Lucas beat her to it. "Last night all of us went to a charity event outside of town. We had our parents there and everything. We all didn't get back into the city until midnight."

"Are you sure you were all together?" asked Judy, leaning forward.

"Positive."

 _Well, this complicates things,_ thought Judy. If all the kids had alibis that only opened a huge hole in their investigation.

"But I may be able to help you, Officer," replied Lucas, getting her attention. "The Public Prey Protection is not just limited to my school. It's in a bunch of schools in Zootopia."

"Wait, this is an organization?" asked Judy.

"Yeah, we're funded by a guy by the name of Dominic Stripes. He's a activist in prey rights and protection," answered Lucas. "He's also a big-time lawyer too. I can get you his contact information since I met him once."

"Please, that would be very helpful," said Judy as she nodded to him before smiling. "And don't worry, I'll keep you and Josh a secret."

"Thank you," whispered Lucas as he hugged the bunny once more. "Wow, Mom was right. You bunnies are good for hugging."

"It's a gift," laughed Judy as she guided Lucas to his friends. Although she was happy he and his friends weren't a suspect, it didn't stop the fact that another club was behind the attacks.

When she and Lucas made their way back to the tables, she quickly felt her heart sink as Nick walked up to her with a emotionless expression. "What happened?"

"There's been another attack. By the docks. Fourteen year-old wolf," whispered Nick, lowering his head.

"How bad."

"…"

"Nick?"

"… he's dead, Judy."


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: So it turns out there is going to be a Zootopia 2 movie. Yay! The only thing everyone is wondering is if Judy and Nick will get together as a couple or not. I so want to see them become a couple, but the producers aren't sure if they will or not. They can see it going both ways and promise to do their best to make the second film just as good or better then the first.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia.** _

* * *

You never forget your first murder. That was something Judy has been told many times. Her first murder was two months after the Night Howler Incident. A jaguar had been illegally selling night howlers on the black market to some extreme naturalists who thought it was "nature's way" of returning to one's primal instincts. Judy and Nick had helped lead a sting operation into stopping him, but the jaguar had taken a few of them herself and escaped. Along the way, he met a sheep who was out for a job. She torn him up and took some of him for food before escaping into the dark.

Judy had nightmares for weeks upon seeing the body. Nick was bothered by the carnage, not the death itself. He had mentioned seeing such things in the past, but never this level. Both went to therapy together to get over what they saw.

Zootopia's officers did their best to bring their suspects alive, but there was always an exception to the rule. When murder was in play, officers could use real guns instead of tranquilizers. Despite getting crack shot skills at the academy, both Nick and Judy felt different when using them. It was like you had the power of god in your hands, but only in the "who lives and who dies" department of the job. Nick and Judy finally found and took down the rouge jaguar, taking his life as well. Again, more therapy needed.

Since then, Judy had been involved in four other murder cases. Having required to take the life of one of those murders as well. This, however, was a child murder.

Even though there was crime in Zootopia, crimes against children were rare. Even rarer was when a child was murdered. The last time it ever happened was during a school shooting years ago that no one saw coming. The entire city mourned for the losses and schools did better to prevent such a tragedy again.

 _Until today,_ thought Judy as she and Nick stared at the body that was covered in a white sheet. Officers and CSI were working everywhere they can on the docks. She looked around the place where a few warehouses were as well as the docks that lead to the open river of Zootopia with the famous Canyon Bridge that connected Downtown and the Canyon Lands together. It looked like a nice place to find peace if you were having a rough day. _Now its ruined by this._

Nick placed his hand on her to help her focus and calm down. As much as she wanted to just hold someone and tear up, she had a job to do. The two of them walked up to the corner, a female dingo named "Dr. Din" on her tag and she smiled at them. "Thought I might you two soon," she replied, with an Australian accent behind her. Getting up, she shook their hands. "Name is Din. Just finished my analysis. I'm guessing you want to know what I found?"

"Please," replied Judy, still staring at the sheet.

"Well it's just like that lion kid. Stripped naked, beaten to a pulp, the words 'savage' spray painted on his back, but this time they got his rump as well," replied Dr. Din, shaking her head. "They found his clothes in a nearby trashcan. Along with something interesting."

"ID?" asked Nick. Dr. Din nodded before handing them a wallet. Opening it, they saw a happy looking white furred fourteen-year-old wolf with an ID that named him "Marcus Whitehowl." It was what the ID was from that caught their interest. "The Eden's School for Autistic Children?"

"Our victim was autistic?" asked Judy.

"Yup, they even found Prozac pills in his pocket," replied Dr. Din.

"How did an autistic wolf kid get all the way over here when his school is at least ten blocks away?" asked Nick, shaking his head. "Could they have forced him?"

"If they did I doubt they wouldn't have done it subtly," replied Judy, shaking her head. "No, they most likely lured him. Played with his emotions and took advantage of his condition to get him here." She rubbed her temples. This case was getting worse and worse. "How did he… die?"

"Skull fracture," replied Dr. Din, looking over her notepad. "I found shards of wood in his body, including a big fragment in his skull which killed him. My guess is a big stick or baseball bat."

"Has his parents been notified?" asked Judy.

"The father is on his way to the station right now. The body's just about ready for transport so he can ID him."

* * *

This was the part of the job that Nick hated a lot. Besides the paperwork. And Bogo. And the bad coffee. Okay, a lot of things Nick hated about the job, but this was in the top five. He and Judy watched as the shades were lifted behind the window, showing the fourteen-year-old wolf that had died in the docks. Thankfully, he was cleaned up of all the blood on him and that the area of his skull that caved in was covered by the pillow his head rested in. If it wasn't for the fact he was as pale as a ghost, Nick swore he was just sleeping.

"T-that's him…" whispered an older white wolf in a blue collared shirt and pants. He took a few deep breaths before leaning on the glass with his paws and stared at his dead son. "That's my boy."

A few tears dripped down his cheeks as Nick nodded to the corner inside who covered the body and closed the shades again. Despite this, the father continued to stare as if he was still there. Judy and Nick did nothing to rush him in his grief as he shed a few more tears and lowered his head.

"Where did you find him?" asked Mr. Whitehowl.

"By the docks where he went to school," replied Judy.

"I took him to those docks every week…" he replied, shaking his head with a smile. "He loved seeing those boats pass by as he waved at them and shout as loud as he could. He was always throwing random things into the water and I never knew why. Often time, he tried to get naked and swim in the water and I had to tell him no at least five times." His smile faded. "Why did he leave our meeting zone? We went over it a hundred times, especially with his teacher."

"We think he was lured over by the gang of kids who killed him," replied Nick. "We think they took advantage of his… well…"

"Autism?" asked Mr. Whitehowl with a heavy sigh. "That was one of my worst fears. That one day it would kill him…" He shook his head. "I should have done better… I should have left work earlier… my boss never lets me…"

"Sir, it's not your fault," said Judy.

"How many families have you told that to, officer?" asked Mr. Whitehowl.

"A few…"

"Let me tell you something. Whenever a child suffers, the parent will always blame themselves no matter the situation."

Judy went quiet as Mr. Whitehowl sighed and shook his head. "I'd like to take my son for proper funeral arrangements, please."

"Would you like to wait for your wife to come as well?" asked Nick.

"My wife left me and Marcus when he was three because she couldn't handle having an 'retarded' pup," whispered Mr. Whitehowl. "I never gave up on him. He was my son, all I had, and did everything to make his world better… guess that was useless in the end, huh?"

Mr. Whitewolf didn't say anything else before he walked out of the room, leaving the two officers to themselves.

* * *

After reporting their findings earlier to Chief Bogo, he gave them permission to go home while he had to make a public statement about the attacks. Tired from a long day, the two best friends made their way to Nick's car and drove back to their apartment complex. A year after joining, Judy finally left that horrible apartment she had and got a new one. Better yet, Nick was able to save enough money to get his own room right next to hers.

After parking, the two entered Judy's apartment where the owner flopped on her couch after a long day while Nick helped himself to her fridge. Hearing the opening of a can of soda, she looked up and smirked. "You know that sugar is bad for you."

"If I ever die from drinking too much soda you can write that on my tombstone," joked Nick as he leaned against the fridge. "Besides, it beats getting wasted."

"I honestly could use a drink," whispered Judy, falling back on her back. Things were silent for a while until Judy finally said. "They're just kids, Nick."

"Our victims or criminals?"

"Both," replied Judy as she sat up. "What could cause these kids to think that assault and murder is right?"

"Maybe the way they were raised? Maybe something happened to them? Maybe they got issues," replied Nick as he sat down and wrapped his arm around her. "It doesn't matter the reason. We'll find them and throw the book at them. Most likely we'll get into crazy scenarios, have a few laughs, maybe a touching scene or two and then everything will be alright. Like always." He held his fist out for her. She stared it at a bit before a smile grew on her lips and she fisted him right back.

"I just wonder if the murder was on purpose or not," said Judy, lying back against her couch. "I mean, they didn't kill Josh, just hurt and embarrass him. This is a total escalation of action."

"Maybe it was an accident," replied Nick, shrugging his shoulders. "What happens next will give us a clue on their behavior. They could either be scared shitless right now or feeding off the energy of the excitement of killing someone." He then looked at her and gave a small smile. "Let's not talk about the case. Let's talk about something else. Like what we're going to do for the weekend since we're both off."

Judy's face quickly turned red as she thought about what Pond had said earlier today and took a deep breath. "Nick… do you want to go on a date?!"

It came out so fast she was afraid Nick didn't hear her until she saw his eyes widen and his cheeks turn red instead of that cute orange colored she liked so much. He blinked a few times before he asked, "D-date? As in… couples date?"

"Y-yes… I know a place… and… well…" She looked into his eyes and smile. "You're the only guy I've ever felt this… close to. I like you and… I wanna see… you know…"

Nick's surprise soon faded into a smile that made her heart flutter. "Try everything, right?"

"Y-yeah," whispered Judy as she inched her paws closer to his. He took the message and held them with his own. The two of them stayed there for so long, just staring at each other and holding paws. Sure, it wasn't kissing, but it was a start.

"Sure," whispered Nick as he leaned down and patted her on the head. "I admit, I'm curious of trying it out too… Judy."

* * *

Meanwhile, in some other location.

" _Dude! We killed him! We killed someone! That was not part of the plan!"_ said someone on a phone. A figure in the dark, rolled his eyes and leaned on his chair. _"W-what do we do?"_

"We just lay low for two days," replied the figure. "What happened was an accident, but we didn't get caught and the police don't know it was us. So, stop panicking."

" _Look, we agreed we were going to make predators feel unsafe like we do every day when we're with them. We didn't agree to become killers!"_

"That wolf would have grown up to do something stupid with his retard mind anyway. Most likly kill a kid himself. We did the world a favor by sending him to hell," whispered the figure, growling. "In fact, I think we should do it again."

" _ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"_

"Hear me out. This time we'll go after a predator that really deserves it. How about a fox? Those bastards always end up as criminals anyway. One less problem for Zootopia to deal with."

"… _I don't know…"_

"Need I remind you why we are all doing this? Or maybe you want to have someone's sister raped by a predator like yours was?"

"… _no…"_

"Good. Then make sure you tell the others. Usual meeting place, two days from now. I'll tell you later more details."

" _How are we going to… k-kill the fox?"_

A sinister smile appeared on the figure's face. "You'll see."


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: I don't really have much to say. Enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia.**_

* * *

No further attacks happened in the past two days. Still, there was a lot of investigating and interviews on those who were beavers, elephants, bunnies, and zebras under the age of eighteen and part of the Public Prey Protection club. However, there were so many that had joined it took two days just to get through half of them. Those that did get interviewed were quick to give out them alibis during both crimes, others refused to deal with them simply because the officers were, or had, a predator partner. Since they weren't being held for a crime, they had no legal reason to keep them in custody.

It also didn't help that the leader of the organization, Dominic Stripes, was out on business and wouldn't be back until mid-week. What they knew about him was that he was a successful lawyer who had been part of many Pro-Prey organizations since he was a teenager. He was married with one son, but lost a daughter in a car accident six years ago, which was caused by a drunk wolverine. It was also around that time that he started and funded the PPP.

"So, his daughter's death was the trigger for setting up the PPP?" asked Nick as he looked at the Zebra's photo, showing him with a smooth haircut, sharp blue suit, and glasses. "Anybody can get drunk and cause an accident."

"Dominic insists that more DUI's and Hit and Run's are caused by predators they prey," replied Judy, shifting through some notes. "The zebra clearly sees predators as the main perpetrators behind crime and violence in the city, which he's not entirely inaccurate about. We do arrest more predators then prey."

"But more predators keep the streets safe then prey," replied Nick, rolling his eyes. "Tell me he's not one of those freaks who thinks guys like me need to have a collar on to shock me if I get out of control."

"Surprisingly, no," replied Judy with a shrug, "but he does believe that predators shouldn't be given gun rights while prey should do the former's advantage in biology and physical ability. He also is all for… removing of the teeth and claws of those who carry them."

"Bastard," whispered Nick, who stopped typing. _Why does this guy's name sound familiar suddenly?_ When Judy told him the name of the starter for PPP, a voice in Nick's head kept making him wonder if he knew the guy from a long time ago. _I shouldn't know him. He comes from an upper middle class background and I grew up on the streets. We never went to the same school or anything. So… why do I feel like punching his face?_

"He'll be back in town after the weekend, so we can at least interview him then," replied Judy as she got off her desk chair and stretched her legs. "Maybe he'll be nice and help us?"

"And maybe the next Transformers movie will be a masterpiece, Carrots," joked Nick as he got up, the two heading for the punch card slot to clock out. "So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"Don't you remember what we're doing," replied Judy, blushing as she looked away.

"Oh… right, the date…" whispered Nick, now blushing as well. He still couldn't believe that Judy asked him out of all people. Not that he didn't want to be asked out, he was very interested in her. _Still, of all the animals in the world, why me?_

"You… do want to still do this, right?" asked Judy, rubbing her foot on the floor.

"Y-yeah, if you want to? I mean, you are paying, right?" joked Nick which earned him a punch in the arm. "Don't worry. I'm totally ready for this."

* * *

 _I am so not ready for this,_ thought Nick as he looked at his tux for what had to be the sixth time and fixed his bow tie.

It was silly since this was just a date. A date with someone who he had seen almost all the time and went to work with. They had solved cases together, dodged bullets together, and saved the city together. By all accounts, he should have been less nervous now then that time they raided that Taiduck Drug Cartel.

Yet, he all could think was about looking his best for Judy.

 _Come on, Nick,_ he thought to himself, shaking his head. _You've been on plenty of dates with various vixens. What's so different about this one? Beside it being a bunny then a fox of course._

The only answer his heart could say to him was: "Because they weren't Judy."

The longest relationship he ever had was two weeks, and that was only because he was laying low at her house for a time after pissing off Mr. Big. Granted, he knew Judy longer than any of those girls, but what was so important about this? _Could it be I care about her this much?_ He thought rubbing the back of his neck. He did care. Hell, he cared a lot. He'd take a bullet for her any day of the week. _But can I really use the "L" word?_

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. _Guess I'll have to find out._

He walked over and opened the door, ready to give out a usual quick joke that he loved to deliver. Except the only thing to escape him was a silent gasp. Judy smiled at him while holding a purple purse complete with a sky velvet dress, diamond necklace, light pink lipstick, powdered cheeks, and blue dress heels. In other words, she was amazing.

"How do I look?" asked Judy, giving a little twirl. "I normally don't wear this stuff, but since its our first date… you know?"

"You look… like a woman," replied Nick in awe. _Of course, she's a woman, you dolt! Stupid!_ But Nick meant what he had said. Judy had always this tomboy like atmosphere to her. This was the first time she, quite frankly, was letting her fur down. "I mean that in a good way! It's always nice to see your feminine charms shining out in the light."

Judy giggled and gave him a sly grin. "Smooth save, Romeo. So shall we go or let the dinner get cold?"

She offered her arm and Nick, smiling wide, took it with his own and the two walked on towards the elevator for their date.

* * *

Mario Balto's was a nice Italian styled restaurant just off the borders of Tundra Town that, thankfully, had an underground passage for those wanting to avoid the frozen twenty-four-hour cold. Despite being run by a wolf family, it was catered to both prey and predators which made it perfect for cross species dating. Judy was surprised to find so many like her and Nick already sitting, eating, and having a good time. Granted, none of them were a rabbit and a fox, but a rabbit and dog was in one table so that was a close sign.

After the waiter took them to their seats, and accepted their drink choices, the two partners sat in silence for a while. Nervously, Judy kept drinking her water and wondered what she was going to do next. She had been in talks with Fru Fru, Mrs. Otter, her mother, and so many of her siblings on what to do in a date for the past two days, but now that it was here… she was as blank as an unloaded gun. _Why is that I can be calm during a firefight, a homicide, or a high-speed chase, but when it comes to social events like these I'm a minute away from a panic attack?!_

"So… Carrots," said Nick, twitting his thumbs. "I think this is the point one of us breaks the ice by giving a conversation starter?"

"Right… so… what do we talk about?" asked Judy.

Another few minutes of silence.

"Okay, this isn't getting anywhere," whispered Judy, rubbing her temples. "Ugh, is it wrong wishing for a robbery to happen right now so that we can avoid the awkward silence part?"

Nick snorted. "Okay, then how I do this." He started to lean forward, inching closer to Judy who froze on the spot. He gave her a grin that made her heart melt as he got closer and closer. All the way to the point where their muzzles were inches apart.

 _Ohmygoshohcheeseandcrackershe'sgoingtokissmeh'sgoingtokissmehe'sgoingtokissme!_

Instead of getting her first kiss, however, Nick just pinched something off her shoulder and threw it away. "There we go. That piece of lint was bothering me."

Judy just sat there, mouth wide open, until she growled and narrowed her eyes. Grabbing the first thing she could get her paws on, she threw a piece of bread at a laughing Nick. "You jerk! You tease! You swindler!"

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart!" laughed Nick.

Judy wanted to be angry at him, but all she could do was smile and laugh as well a few minutes later.

* * *

With the ice broken, the date picked up rather well. They talked about how Judy's family was doing, the rumors at the police station, some movies and TV shows they saw, and the usual stuff they normally talked about. Yet, there was something different in the way they talked to each other. Maybe it was the atmosphere, but there was a tone in the way they talked that made them feel more relaxed than normal. Not to mention Judy made sure to pay attention to each detail Nick made and she was sure he was doing the same.

Even when their food came out, they had continued to tease and joke with each other. Nothing different in theory, but it felt different. One strange change was when Nick held out a bit of his pasta out for Judy to try (no meat thankfully) and she took a bite of it. It was childish, but Judy liked the idea of Nick feeding her.

After they finished their meals, skipping desert, the two made their way back to the underground tunnel that would lead them to the train station. Sitting on their seats, Judy felt herself resting against Nick, who wrapped his arm around her. It made her feel even warmer and relaxed.

"So… good first date?" asked Nick, grinning.

"Best… date ever…" yawned Judy as she covered her mouth. "Then again it's my first date ever."

"Really? A cute bunny like you wasn't attracting boy bunnies in school?" asked Nick, raising an eyebrow.

"There were some, but I never paid attention to them," admitted Judy with a shrug. "Most of them just wanted to impress their friends by going out with the 'cop bunny' rather than know me. By the time I was attracting those who were serious, I was focusing on my dreams of becoming an officer so I didn't bother pursing them."

"Were you really considered weird by your fellow carrot eaters?" asked Nick.

Judy shifted in her seat a bit. "I was… sorta made fun of… I mean, you have to understand, Nick. Nobody in my town ever thought of being anything but a farmer, a house builder, or something that wasn't part of helping the community in a non-dangerous way. I don't know how it is in other bunny downs, but in Bunny Burrow, everyone wanted nothing more than to get a safe job, have a happy marriage, make a lot of babies, and die of old age."

"Sounds boring," joked Nick. "I have the feeling you would have been the first bunny to die of boredom if that happened. They weren't too harsh I hope."

"Nothing I could handle. Not every bully was like Gideon," replied Judy as she thought back to the times of her old enemy and now friend.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone went off and she quickly grabbed it. "Hello?"

" _Judy? It's Pond. Another… another one…"_

Judy's eyes widened as she cursed inwardly. Of all the days there had to be another attack. "Murder or assault?" _Please be the second._

" _We got a body… a fox…"_

"Damnit," cursed Judy, as she looked towards Nick who was already frowning. "Another one. Fox this time."

"Let's go," replied Nick, his eyes turning even colder.

* * *

It was raining, but that was normal in the Rainforest District. Although he was annoyed that their date was going to end with a side order of murder, Nick knew that this was serious. A second murder, another kid, but this time one of his own. A fox. A kit. He knew his community well, and there was going to be hell to pay if a kit got killed.

He and Judy arrived at the crossing where the murder had taken place just inside a large alley. The ZPD already set up a blockade, not that it stopped news reporters and the public from trying to get in and capture something. Officer Pond and Jordon were there to greet the two and hand them umbrella's. Good thing too as seeing Judy's amazing dress get wet would have been a crime all on its own.

They went through the tape and made their way to the crime scene where Chief Bogo was there in a poncho. He raised an eyebrow upon looking at them, dressed up nice, and muttered, "About time you two."

"Chief?" asked Judy.

"Nothing, just make sure you two put your jobs first before each other, if you can that is," replied Chief Bogo, as he issued the others to follow him. "Same M.O. as before. Stripped naked, spray painted with the words "Savage", tied up too. Looks like he gave a fight before they killed him."

"Bats again?" asked Nick

"Knifes this time," whispered Bogo which made Nick and Judy close their eyes for the poor soul. "Nick, I need to talk to you. Judy, see what you can make of the body."

"Roger, Chief," replied Judy as she made her way to where a white and red sheet was covering a small body.

Turning to his boss, Nick sighed, "Foxes aren't going to take this well, Chief. It's one thing for something to happen to an adult, but a kit? That's almost a universal hot button for us. We'll see protests at best, riots at worst. Most foxes think the city doesn't care for them, this will just dig that idea deeper."

"Any chance we can do damage control on this? Keep it quiet?" asked Chief Bogo, pinching his nose.

"The Whisper Dens will pick this up no matter what," responded Nick, shaking his head.

"Whisper Dens?" asked Chief Bogo as if he was speaking a foreign language.

Nick nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Y-yeah, see… the foxes know its us against the world most of the time. So we spread information among each other. Like who the police are looking for. What the next big deal is downtown. Whose ratting out who. An underground information network all over the city run by foxes for foxes. It's how we manage to keep ourselves ahead of danger."

"No wonder you guys are so hard to capture," whispered Bogo, shaking his head. "Can we use this network for our own? Help us with this case?"

"Almost every fox doesn't trust the police. And they won't let me into the Dens because I'm a cop now," sighed Nick. "I burned almost all my bridges except a few when I became a _Blue Boy_."

"Alright, I guess we'll just have to-"

" _ **Nick!"**_ cried out Judy, in a tone that terrified the said fox. She rushed over to him, without her umbrella and grabbed him by the arms. Her face all white and filled with horror. "Nick! You… Oh god, Nick… They must have… they thought..."

"Judy?" asked Nick, who was now worried. "W-what's wrong?"

"Nick… it wasn't… it wasn't a kit…"

"I don't get what-"

"He… Nick he's… he's so small they must have… Oh, Nick I'm so sorry," cried Judy, tears coming down her face.

Nick's entire body went cold as a thought clicked in his head. A single thought that made it every fur on his body colder than the rain could ever have made it. He slowly left her grasp and began to make his way, slowly towards the body. _No… no… no…_

He remembered all the jokes he made because of his height. All his sassy remarks that he fired right back t him. He began to walk faster. "No. No. No. No!"

Now he was running, but it felt like he was miles away. Voices were shouted, as some tried to grab him, but he pushed them off. He had to go to him. "NO! NO! NO! _NOOOOO!"_

Now he was grabbed by everyone, shouting at him not to disrupt the crime scene but he couldn't stop. He struggled, kicked, and bite a few, but he didn't care who it was. It couldn't be him. He begged to every god above it wasn't him. The one guy who looked after him when his mother died, and the one who didn't leave him as a friend, even after he took the badge. His brother in all but blood…

Then, as if too answer his worries, a gust of wind blew off the sheet, revealing not a kit, but a fennec fox who had multiple cuts on him, including a horrible one around his throat as his dead eyes glazed up into the world.

With tears in his eyes, and his heart broken into pieces, Nick shouted one word that echoed across the rain. _**"FINNNNIIIICCCCKKKK!"**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**AN: Hello, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the twist last chapter. This chapter will focus a bit more on Nick and Finnick's relationship with a few twists of their own. Also I want to apologize for something, I kinda messed up the time frame in between chapters and I want you guys to know that's fixed now.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Zootopia**_

* * *

Judy had seen many faces when it came to her best friend, Nick Wilde. She had seen him with a grin that spoke of a plan to not only outwit you, but in a way that you wouldn't see coming until next Tuesday. There was the look of joy in his expression whenever he was with her or performing a favorite action of his like eating blueberries. She had seen him be serious when the situation called for it, mostly during work related incidents. There was also that mask he put on to avoid being hurt, the one he held onto most of his life to deal with the stigma of being born a fox. He had his fake smile that he gave to prevent Judy from realizing he was hurt. What she loved most was his true smile, the one that warmed the hearts of those very few he cared about in his life, including Judy. There were times she had seen him angry, sad, laughing, and uncaring.

She had never, however, seen him cry until today. That was a face that had shattered her heart.

Looking behind the glass window of the morgue, she could see her silent partner staring down at the sheet covered body of his once friend and partner, Finnick. A part of her wanted to respect his wish for privacy with the deceased. The other part wanted to just hug him until she couldn't let go. She pressed her paw on the glass and closed her eyes, wondering how such a wonderful night could end in such tragedy. _It seems already a lifetime ago since the restaurant and yet it was only a few hours._

Her sensitive hearing picked up the heavy footsteps of the chief as he stopped beside her to look at Nick as well. "How's he taking it?"

"Bad," answered Judy. They had to handcuff Nick to prevent him from messing up the crime scene and sedate him for two hours. When he woke, he demanded to see the body and had been there since.

"Were you close to him too?" asked Chief Bogo.

"Not really," answered Judy, being honest. Finnick was more of Nick's friend then anything. She only met him once and awhile when he came to visit Nick. She had nothing against him since she owed him for helping her find Nick after that interview disaster, and he in turn respected her for turning Nick's life around. "But he was a good person…"

"Next of kin?" asked Bogo.

"Nick would know…" whispered Judy as she shook her head. "What do we do now, Chief?"

"Right now, we're waiting for Mr. Stripes to return from his trip tomorrow," replied Chief Bogo. "He's the only one now who might be able to help us find these punks." He growled. "I don't know who I hate more now: the kids who did this or their parents for failing them."

Judy clutched her fist and nodded. She was close to being tempted to hit these children with her first, consequences be damned. "We'll catch them. It's only a matter of time…"

"We think they might go after another fox," replied Chief Bogo. "Once we announce our victim was an adult, they might feel the need to strike another fox child to make up for their mistake. Or they might actually get bolder and start going after adults."

"I doubt it," replied Judy, shaking her head. "These kids are cowards. They go after those their own age. I doubt they can really hurt an adult predator unless they come with a gun or something."

"Regardless, I need all paws on deck for this one," replied Chief Bogo. "If you and Nick can still go on with this case, I would like you two to be the ones to interview Dominic Stripes when he returns. If you cannot, I'll get Pond and Jordon to do it.

"… I'll see what Nick wants," replied Judy.

"Alright, but get some sleep afterwards. It's dawn so use the bunkbeds or head home," replied Chief Bogo which made Judy nearly yawn upon hearing this.

Judy took in a deep breath and began to make her way to the door. She held the handle and hesitated for a few minutes before turning it and entering the cold, dark morgue. Slowly, she walked over to Nick who didn't bother looking at her. Only kept his gaze on the covered face of Finnick.

Judy tried to think of something. Anything to help him… and only one thing came to her. "I lost a sister once…" she whispered, but the flick of Nick's tail told her he was listening. "She was named Bianca and was part of my litter. When we were fifteen, she climbed on the tallest tree in Bunny Burrow… she liked climbing, but Mom always warned her about doing so… she was afraid she'd break her neck." Judy's eyes closed. "One day, the branch she was on broke… she fell… and just what Mom feared happened."

She paused, remembering her parents rushing Bianca to the hospital while she and her siblings all sat in silence before crying into tears when one of their eldest got a call saying Bianca was dead. It was one of the grimmest moments of her life. "At her funeral, I saw her inside the coffin… she looked like she was sleeping… even had that smile she always had like she was on another great adventure… I didn't think she was even dead, just pretending like some prank… I kept staring and staring, because I didn't want to look away. If I did, then that would be it. I'd never see her smile again… but I had to turn away eventually… when I did I just collapsed and cried the rest of the day and night…" Walking over, she hugged Nick who started to tremble. "… when you're ready to look away… I'll be there…"

Nick just closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Judy… make arrangements for his funeral… I need to go to talk to some old friends…" He slowly separated from her and began to walk away.

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Judy.

He paused and shook his head before turning to towards her. "This is something I have to do alone. I'm sorry."

The look in his eyes spoke of only two things: rage and sorrow. Nodding her head, she let him go and watched him leave without a word.

* * *

Having life screw him over so many times in his short time on this earth, Nick was a fox who rarely let anybody inside. He could only count about three individuals who ever really knew the real him: his mother, Judy, and Finnick. Even before his mother died, Finnick had been Nick's partner in everything from dealing with school bullies to conning money out of rich people. They both shared something that was akin to brotherhood, but on a more emotional level. Like Nick, Finnick came from a single parent. Unlike Nick, Finnick's knew who his father was, but cared nothing about him. Hell, it was safe to say that he hated him for not even raising him.

"It's us against the world, Nick. It screws us both so we gotta screw it back."

That was what he always said to him when they were just starting out as conman and thieves. They rose through the ranks, had different partners, made different connections, but Nick and Finnick always stuck by each other. Even when Nick got out of the game and went straight, Finnick didn't abandon him. Hell, he even went in disguise to see his graduation at the ZPD Academy.

Judy was his best friend, and maybe more, but Finnick was his brother. He was family, and if there was one thing all foxes valued it was family.

Nick got off the bus and walked down the street, still in the same tux he was wearing for his date. He should have dressed and showered by this point, but he didn't care if he smelled worse than an elephant's butt. He had to keep doing something because the moment he stopped he was going to break down and cry again. _Not yet… not yet…_

Downtown was not a safe place. Anyone with a brain knew that. It was where all the "vermin" lived from the foxes to the weasels. The low lives who were, in one way or another, connected to crime in some way. Some, like Nick, got out and made a life for themselves outside of Downtown. Others, like Finnick, thrived and loved it. It was like a home for those to never be given a chance to shine or accepted by the "normies" of society. It was downtrodden, dirty, and a pit. But it was home.

"Well, I'll be damned. Nick Wilde is back on Ninth Street," said a voice as Nick turned around and saw as smilingly middle-aged red fox in a butcher's outfit staring at him from his shop's entrance. "Last time I saw you was when you were ordering you're usual. Chicken and mozzarella with toasted wheat bread and pickles. That was… before you went _Blue_." He had a broom in his hand and started dusting. "So, you working a case? Undercover?"

"I'm going to see Winston," replied Nick which made the butcher stop. "I need the Whisper Dens."

The butcher shook his head with a sad smile. "Nick, you know the rules. Anybody who goes straight or sells out is banned. Even for you."

"I know," whispered Nick as he glared at the butcher with such intensity that he backed off. "But this is personal."

Without saying a word, he walked off.

* * *

To the average person walking down the street, it looked like a rundown movie theater. However, if you knew the right connections, you knew this dump was anything but that. Slamming his fist on the closed ticket booth, Nick waited until a set of eyes peeked out of the closed shades. "Nick Wilde? What are you doing here? Wait, are you on duty?"

"No, Frank, I'm not," replied Nick as he leaned against the booth. "I'm not wired. I came alone. No back up. And I'm not here to cause trouble. So, put that gun you always keep in the third draw away and let me in. I need to speak to Winston."

"Nick, I can't do that. You're excommunicated," replied Frank, with a sigh. "Look, I love ya like a brother, man. But you're a Blue Boy. I cannot let you in or else Winston will tan my hide."

"… Finnick's dead…" whispered Nick.

There was a long silence.

"… really?"

"Would I lie about something like that? Especially about Winston's son?" asked Nick, growling and glaring at the eyes of the shocked guard.

"The network…"

"Hasn't picked it up yet, now are you going to let me in or am I going to call in a SWAT team because I will do that, damnit," replied Nick.

A buzzing sound was his answer. Nick nodded and walked over to the doorway and pushed it open. He walked past the broken candy counter and torn up rug to reach an old elevator. Pressing the down button twice, he entered it and waited until it started to descend.

When the elevator landed, it was like entering a whole different world. A bar scene that would have made the roaring 20's jealous as a live band played music while foxes of all kinds interacted with each other. Some were laughing at a joke, others were planning deals and heists to go down, a few were on their own and ignoring the noise, but all of them were drinking at the bar or tables that were available.

It almost made Nick smile upon seeing how little the place had changed all these years. An assortment of memories of much wilder times flashed though his mind like an old movie projector. Many faces here were old colleagues that he had done business with one way or another. Sure enough, one of them recognized Nick and sat up in both shock and soon anger. "Well, tear my tail in two. Nickolas P. Wilde. The Foxiest Blue Boy of the ZPD."

Sure enough, the noise began to die down as everyone in the bar started to stare or whisper at Nick who sighed and decided to step down. "Nice to see you too, Jon."

"What's a two timing traitor like you doing in a Whisper Den. You on a raid?" asked Jon, as the bigger fox with a scar over his head reached into his pocked for that knife that he always was famous for carrying. His posy was right next to him, cracking their knuckles.

"I'm here to see Winston," replied Nick, narrowing his eyes. Any other day, he would deal with Jon with a quick insult and a few blackmail secrets he still held close to his chest, but not today. Not when he could see Finnick's pale face in his mind.

"Winston don't want to talk to some _cop,"_ spat out Jon as if it was a curse, "who turned his back on his people. You're not a fox anymore, Nick. You're one of _them_ , now _._ "

"... I never once turned my back on foxes, Jon," growled Nick, narrowing his eyes. "I choose to leave the life because I wanted to be something more. Something bigger and I am. Yeah, I arrest guys like you now, but I do it for the sake of protecting civilians from worse criminals then any of us here. Murderers. Rapists. Drug dealers. In case you forgot, I also helped saved the city from turning into a full on anti-predator's wet dream." He marched up into Jon's growling face. "So unless you want to get me really… really angry. I suggest you let me go and see Winston. Because today is not the day to mess with me."

"Why? Got to get back to screwing around with that rabbit whore you call a par-"

At once every gun in the entire building was aiming at Nick, mostly because he pulled his out and had it straight at Jon's face. It was the tranquilizer one either, but the full-on Glock 22 that could blow Jon's head clean off. Every officer was granted it after a full year on the force. "Call my partner anything and I'll end you Frank. I don't care what you say about me… but don't _ **EVER**_ insult Judy."

"That's enough," said a calm voice, but with power behind it that made everyone look up at a balcony above. A middle aged Corsac fox with smooth fur, dressed in a blue suit and holding a silver cane glared at everyone. "You know the rules. No violence in these halls. This is a neutral zone, and I intend to keep it that way. Or else I may just borrow one of Mr. Big's landfills to fill your corpses in. Understood?"

Everyone, even Nick, put their guns away. The Corsac fox then gazed towards Nick. "Nick, please see me in my office."

Nick nodded and made his way to the door on the right next to the bar where a set of stairs would take him to the most powerful fox in all Zootopia with the greatest information network that could put the CIA to shame: Winston Constantine.

* * *

The Whisper Dens had been around long before Nick was born, but back then they were run differently. Different foxes held different types of Dens that gave information for a price. Sometimes money, sometimes information, sometimes you had to do a job to pay back for the info. Only two rules were ever present: Criminal Foxes only, and no killing in the Dens.

Information was power for a criminal such as who to score, what deals were going down, what the cops were doing, who was willing to be bribed, blueprints, safe combos, passwords, etc. Good information was the difference between a successful crime and ending up in chains. One fox, however, rose to control all the Whisper Dens in Zootopia, and even some outside of it. A man who was a ghost to the law, but a legend to the criminal community.

Winston wasn't just an information broker. He was _**THE**_ information broker who had dirt on anyone. Eyes and ears everywhere. If a fly landed on the Mayor's nose, he would hear about it a few hours later. Winston never took any sides, and nobody sides against Winston. Even Mr. Big wouldn't do it and that was saying something for one of the most powerful mob bosses in the city. The last person to try ended up losing all his money to the IRS, fired from his job, his necrophilia fetish exposed to the world, his wife and children leaving him, and wanted for possible desecration of six different graves in Zootopia. In the end that guy was left with nothing but the clothes on his back and a present from Winston: a gun and a single bullet which he properly used minutes later.

Because many would want to see such a powerful man fall, many looked for a weakness to Winston and many assumed it was the only son he had from a whore years ago. When Finnick and Nick learned that Winston wanted nothing to do with him, the former all but cursed him out and told him he would make it on his own. Nick kept in touch with Winston, only because he felt it would be best for business, but Nick wouldn't say he liked the fox. Respected him. Feared him. But like him? No, not really. How could he when he barely acknowledged Finnick as his own blood.

 _Still,_ thought Nick as he took a swing of bourbon that Winston handed to him, _he needs to know._

The room they were in was very spartan. A simple blue wallpaper with two leather chairs next to a fire place that was the only source of light. _A bit intimidating too_ , thought Nick as he eyed a series of tails, mostly foxes but some from other races, that were hanging over the fire place. Rumor had it they were the tails of everyone who tried to stand in Winston's way and that he kept them to let everyone know he would own your ass if you tried to screw him.

"Is it true?" asked Winston as he gazed into the fire. "Is my son dead?"

"… yes," whispered Nick, closing his eyes. Even just saying it now, hours later, felt like a punch to the gut. "I'm sorry…"

"Were you there when it happened?" asked Winston. "Or were you finally dating that partner of yours you've been in love with for over two years now?"

"You knew about that?" asked Nick, remembering to himself that he did.

"I have my ways," whispered Winston, taking a sip of gin. "How did he die? And don't sugarcoat it."

Nick took a longer sip before telling him what happened: the previous attacks, the writing of the word "Savage", the knives, the organization these kids were in. He told Winston everything from the start of the case to where he was now. After he was done, there was a great dark silence between them, but Nick noticed that Winston was holding his glass even tighter.

"… do you know why I never treated Finnick like my son?" asked Winston, sounding older then he needed to be.

"To keep your enemies from using him?" asked Nick, using the most obvious one.

"… yes… and no," whispered Winston, closing his eyes. "If I raised Finnick, he would be in a life of constant danger. Even now, there are enemies of mine who wait for any sign of weakness to take over what I built. It even got to the point where I had to keep all of my contacts and agents away from him unless it was for business only." He got up and went to stare at the fireplace. "The more I made myself seemingly uncaring of Finnick, the more he hated me… but he was safer then I could have ever made him." He finished his glass. "I respected him greatly for being his own man. That's why I never kept tags on him, because I knew he wanted nothing to do with me… well… until that day…"

Nick raised his eyes brow. "What day?"

With a small surprise on his face, Winston turned to Nick and asked, "He never told you?"

"Told me what?" asked Nick.

Winston closed his eyes and walked back to his seat. Sitting down, Winston took out two letters in his pocket and stared at it. "Six years ago, Finnick came to me… begging to help him with a problem he had…"

If this was anyone else in the world telling him thisNick would have called it bullshit. Finnick _never_ begged. He hated the very idea of it. "What problem? Why didn't he come to me?"

"Perhaps he was ashamed. Or maybe he just didn't know what to tell you," whispered Winston as he then reached out into his other pocket and pulled out a picture. He handed it over to Nick who looked at it and then gasped.

It showed a smaller Fennec Fox who looked to be six years old. Although he had different eyes, and a cuter set of cheeks, the child looked to be just like Finnick. "Wait… is he…"

"His son? My grandson? Yes," replied Winston, finishing his glass. "One of the whores he slept with dumped him on his doorstep. Finnick came to me, begging for me to give the child to a better family. He couldn't raise the child due to what he was and where he lived. He deserved a better life." Winston nodded. "So, I did. He lives with a wolf couple who adopted him after losing their child in stillbirth. He has no idea who his father is and I've been watching over him all these years."

He reached out and handed to Nick the letters. "One of them is for you. He wanted me to give you it in case he died. The second is for you to give to his kid when you meet him." He got up and made his way to the door. "I'll use everything I have to find my son's killer… just promise me you'll see justice is done."

"I will," whispered Nick as he gazed on the two letters.

"Frank will give you a cell that we'll use to contact each other," continued Winston. "I'm also guessing our kits are endangered due to Finnick being an adult? The kids will want to target a real kit next time."

"Yeah, get the word out, okay?" asked Nick.

"I will," whispered Winston before leaving to alert everyone in the bar.

Soon all the Den's would know what was going on and would be on alert. Nick didn't care about that right now. All that mattered was the letter addressed to him by his deceased friend. Slowly, with his fingers trembling, he opened it and read:

 _Hey Nick,_

 _If you're reading this, well I guess I'm singing with the angels now. Although, knowing who I am, I got a pitchfork and devil horns waiting for me at the burning gates, huh? Listen, if I died during a job gone bad and you were involved, don't you dare blame yourself. We both know the risks in this game and we know it could cost us two dirt piles in the cemetery. Hopefully, you won't beat yourself up like the time your Mama died. Wasn't your fault then. Isn't your fault now. If I died for some other reason, I just hope it was at least not from a car running me over because I was too short. I'd come back from the grave and kill the son of a bitch who did it._

 _Anyway, the reason I'm writing this. Winston must have already told you that I got a son. Yeah, me? A father. Never wanted to be, but I guess life never works out. I don't know which whore it was I banged to end up with him, but he's my son. Looks like me in all the right places. Your most likely wondering why I never told you. Well… shit, I was ashamed. We both talked many times how crappy our fathers were for abandoning us, and yet here I am doing the same to mine. I can't raise a kid, Nick. I can't. I'm a damn criminal who makes his life screwing people over. What kind of example is that to a kid?_

 _So, I turned to the one bastard in this world I never wanted to turn to: my father._

 _He was the only one who could give my boy to a couple to be raised right. He had the means to do it 'cause I don't trust social workers. Anyway, back to the main subject. So yeah, dead and all. I never got to be the father for my son, mainly because I've always been afraid of what to say. But… I guess the other letter you got will have to be enough for now. I want you to give it to him, Nick. Winston can tell you where he lives._

 _Just… tell him I did love him. And watch over him for me, brother?_

 _You're Pal from here to the hereafter,_

 _Finnick._

Nick was glad the room was sound proof. Because he didn't want to let anyone hear him crying.


	8. Chapter 8

_**AN: So, something about this chapter that I didn't expect to do... sex. Or at least narrative implications of it. I don't have any serious action happening between Judy and Nick, but you'll see what I mean when you get to it. I might add an actual full on sex scene later if viewers request it, but we'll see.**_

 _ **I had a little trouble with this one. I've been trying to get the right mood and feeling to write Dominic Stripes who debuts in this episode. I don't know if I did a good enough job, but I don't feel a hundred percent satisfied. I think I'll have to see about writing more of him in the next chapter.  
**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Zootopia**_

* * *

Judy had been half tempted to follow Nick when he left the station, but she knew that she had to trust him. Even without him saying anything, it was obvious he had gone to do something involving his old life as a criminal, something he swore never to get involved with unless it was to help a case. Whether the chief would approve of it or not was a different story, but over the years Judy had learned that sometimes you needed to use unorthodox methods to combat greater evils. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't worried. Ever since she got back from the station she had been waiting for Nick to return in her apartment. She had slept for a few hours, ordered pizza, and even watched the news which was now reporting Finnick's death.

She still couldn't believe that the little fox with one hell of a mouth was gone. It made her even wonder what was causing these kids to act like this? It was one thing to bully, beat up, even humiliate others… but to murder them? Especially when the intended targets were kids themselves? Something had to have happened to traumatize them all into doing this. Past victims of bullying? Maybe they each loss someone to predators? Maybe they were being manipulated by someone calling the shots from behind the scenes? Taking a nearby file she copied from work, she looked over the profile of Dominic Stripes who had just returned from his meeting out of the city, and Judy had plans to meet with him tomorrow. She hoped Nick would come with her as well.

The door knocked and Judy sprang out of her seat faster than you could say carrots. Opening the door, she found Nick waiting outside with the smell of heavy drinking hitting her nose. Without warning, Nick just fell to his knees and hugged her before proceeding to cry on her shoulder. Whether it was the beer, or the emotions he had been holding until now, Nick fell into a sobbing mess of a fox. Although surprised for a split second, Judy quickly recovered and hugged him back, shedding a few tears herself.

They stood there in front of her apartment, partners and friends-maybe even more-for a long time. More than one neighbor stood their head out to see what was going on, but quickly retreated out of respect. It took nearly an hour for Judy to encourage Nick to come into her apartment. By the time she closed the door, his lips were upon her own, and she closed her eyes to let him express himself. He kissed her repeatedly, on her lips, cheeks, and forehead. She didn't resist. He needed this, and a part of her needed it too.

She began to help him take off the tux he still had been wearing, and the undershirt with it. She had been wearing a simple tea shirt and bra, easily lost in their passion. She jumped onto him as he lifted her off the floor, using his height to hold her up as she wrapped her legs around his chest. Their lips locked again, but this time there was no holding back. Judy unleashed her tongue and explored the taste of Nick's mouth. It was rancid with alcohol, but she felt his pain through it all, and the love he had for her. In return, she let him explore her own clean and mint filled mouth, sapping her of strength that slowly left her in a daze. There was a sense of dominance that Nick gave with his tongue that made her feel helpless… and she liked it.

Despite smashing the door open, Judy was placed gently on the bed, his hands stroking her face and neck while he licked her chest fur. Her spine tingled all the way to her tail as she felt moisture between her legs. She had never had sex before, never once considered it, but now she wanted it. She wanted Nick to be inside of her. He slowly slipped off her sweats and her panties, leaving her naked as the day she was born into this world. She resisted the urge to cover herself up by reminding herself that this was natural. Thousands of years ago her species walked around butt naked with everything showing. Granted they never fucked a fox, but there was a first time for everything.

She heard Nick's pants being unzipped and let loose from the belt. That's when she saw a fox's equipment for the first time and nearly gasped in awe. She reached out to touch it, stroking its hard and long mast. A few licks were all it took to make Nick replay the favor by stroking her lower lips. Moans and panting occurred from the two for a few minutes, playing and getting each other ready.

When she finally let go, Nick launched himself into her. There was screaming, howling, pleading, but most of all there was a sense of passion behind their cries of tears, love, and pain. First, he was on top of her, then she reversed their position, then they were size by side. She let him explore every part of her as she shook, twisted, and humped for him and him alone. There was no city. No civilization. No sense of reasoning. It was just their instincts and emotions that engulfed the room with the smell of their actions.

Time was meaningless, and it was only when exhaustion finally came to them that they stopped, falling asleep in each other's embrace with their scents on each other.

* * *

Judy woke up at the sound of her alarm going off. She stirred as she felt around for her boyfriend's furry chest, but began to wake up when she didn't feel anything. Fearing he had left, Judy looked up only to relax upon seeing Nick on the edge of the bed, staring into what appeared to be a picture. With a small smile, she reached up and hugged him from behind, kissing him on the cheek. "Good morning."

Nick gave her a bit of a smile before frowning. "About last night…"

"Before you say anything, I enjoyed it and I wanted it," replied Judy, already knowing what he was going to say. She had seen enough romance movies to know what happened next. "Maybe it wasn't ideal or the best time, but I think it's something we both needed… and," she then sighed in relief, "it was _really good_."

"I didn't know I was such a sex machine. I'll be sure to mention that when I meet your family next time," joked Nick with a smirk, that Judy punched him on the shoulder.

"You tell my family, and my Dad's gonna have a heart attack," replied Judy as she joined next to him as he wrapped an arm around her. "Who's the kit?"

"… Finnick's son…" whispered Nick, earning wide eyes from Judy. "I found out yesterday… he gave him up for adoption with… help…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't what to do…"

"… How old is he?"

"Around 6 years old, doesn't know his Daddy's gone…" whispered Nick as he shed a tear. "Lives with a wolf family on Wintria Street in Tundratown… I… I got a letter for him… I don't know what to do…."

Judy placed her paw on his and replied, "He should know the truth."

"But what if he's ashamed?" replied Nick, croaking in his tone.

"He needs to at least know his father loved him," replied Judy as she got up. "I arranged the funeral to be next week, it just needs you to finish the paperwork. We have a few days before telling them… and we still got a job to do if you're up for it."

Nick looked at the photo and then at Judy's uniform which was nearby on a chair. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I'm game."

* * *

After a very long wash, the two lovers arrived at work on the dot with Judy going over, again, their plan. "Okay, everyone knows were dating and all, but we do not discuss the fact we had sex," repeated Judy as Nick opened the door.

"Come on, Carrots," replied Nick with his usual smirk. "It's not like anybody's going to suddenly realize it. We washed ourselves good, added extra deodorant, and you're even wearing one of those pine fresh for cars under your shirt. We're as good as gold." The two smiled, walking as they always do until they reached Clawhauser's desk who stopped eating his breakfast burrito to eyes the two. "Hey, Ben. What's up."

The tiger cheetah eyed the two back and forth before gasping. "Oh my goodness! You two did the deed at last!"

The smiling faces of the two animals dropped into shocked expressions as Clawhauser went for the mike and shouted, _**"Attention! Code Bunny Bumping Time has happened! According to the betting pool the winner is…"**_ Clawhauser took out a large paper sheet and looked at it before smiling _ **, "Officer Jimmy Goldbark!"**_

"Yes! Pay up the dog!" shouted a golden retriever on the second floor. He started howling withe excitment while everyone else groaned and started getting their wallets out. "Big screen TV here I come!"

" _ **YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU WERE ALL BETTING TO SEE IF NICK AND I GOT LAID?!"**_ roared Judy, who was so loud that even a lion's roar would have been like a mouse squeak in comparison. Nick just started laughing at the whole thing while Judy glared at him.

"Actually, we were betting to see if you two would have sex with each other. Which we are sooooo happy for by the way!" shouted Clawhauser who was forced to duck from a punch from Judy.

"Stop laughing!" shouted Judy to Nick as she began to stomp to her work space, blushing like mad while other officers got out of the way. There was a reason she was one of the best fighters on the force after all.

Calming himself down, Nick turned to Clawhauser and joked, "I think you'll be short of donuts from us for a while buddy."

"Sorry. You mad?" asked Clawhauser.

"I'm only mad that I couldn't get in on this, that way I could have made a killing," said Nick as he laughed himself to work.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Judy's little outburst had gotten Chief Bogo's attention. He made it clear that while fraternization was not against the rules, he would split them up if their romance interfered with work. The two agreed to keep their heads clear, and were given permission to go interview Dominic Stripes. Currently, Judy was waiting for Nick to come back from checking the arrangements made for Finnick. He did leave a will behind asking specific things for his funeral and burial, and, as his best friend, Nick wanted to make sure it was all carried out.

Taking some coffee in the break room, Judy walked over to a table where Jordon and Pond were sharing a cup as well. "So, you and Nick had fun last night, huh?" asked Pond with a grin as big as her snout.

"Cheese and crackers. Is everyone going to be talking about this?" groaned Judy as she banged her head on the table. "I don't see anybody's love life being exposed like this."

"Well, you gotta admit, Hopps," replied Jordon, taking a sip. "You and Nick stand out from the rest of us, and I don't mean just because you're a rabbit and a fox. A lot of interesting stuff happens around you guys from your cases to your regular lives. If this was a movie or a TV series, you'd be the star."

"Please, like they'll ever make a movie about me," replied Judy as she drank her coffee. "I need to focus on Dominic Stripes anyway. Any ideas on how to handle him?"

"Well, you're dealing with a guy whose pretty much anti-predator. You should let Nick be the one to ask the hard questions because he might lose his cool around him," replied Jordon.

"However, this guy is a lawyer so he knows the law. I'd expect him to weasel out of a few questions," replied Pond.

Judy nodded before she got a text message from Nick stating he was on his way to the car. "Looks like we're off. See you later."

"Hey, Hopps?!" yelled Pond, making the rabbit turn around. "How was it in bed?

"… it was _very good_ ," replied a grinning Judy before retreating out the door.

* * *

It didn't take the duo long to arrive at Jackson and Associates, the law firm that Dominic Stripes worked at. While Judy went over their notes in the elevator, Nick was pondering to himself on something that bothered him. Ever since he heard the name, and saw the photo of the zebra, there was a small voice in Nick's head telling him to remember something about this guy. It was annoying since he knew pretty much everyone in Zootopia, even those who he had only met once. He wondered if he had scammed this guy at one point, but nothing came up since rarely did Nick ever pull a con on Zebras. Despite the rumors of their bad eyesight, they were quite a sharp folk.

Nick continued to ponder his questionably relationship with this guy even after the elevator stopped and let the two out on the 42nd floor. The secretary below had already buzzed them in, and they were given instructions to head to room 410. They walked past various lawyers, assistants, and office workers who were busier than a beehive. To Nick's surprise, he found that there was an equal amount of prey and predators working together. _You would think for a guy who advocates for harsher praetor laws that he'd do bad in a mixed racial environment. Either this guy is as good as a lawyer as his file says, or they don't care what they do on your off hours provided you do your job._

They soon made it to room 410 where Judy turned to Nick with a concerned look. "You ready? He might say something that might get under your skin."

"Relax, Carrots," replied Nick, grinning. "I've got iron for fur. You should be more worried if I make this guy mad like an SJW on Tweeter."

Judy rolled her eyes with a smirk and knocked on the door. A few moments later, a tall male Zebra with a thick mane, dressed in a black suit with glasses greeted them. He eyed them both, but kept his gaze on Nick a little bit longer with a raised eyebrow. "Ah, you must the officers I was told wanted to meet with me. Please come in. I'm on my break."

The two nodded and entered the room which was a big office with a desk, two bookshelves stacked with books, a fish tank, and a few photos on the wall right next to his diploma. A very average looking room for a person who was heading many pro-prey organizations.

"Let me introduce myself, Mr. Stripes," said Judy as they entered the room. "I'm-"

"Officer Judy Hopps from Bunny Burrow. Top of her class, first of her kind to become a police officer, hero of Zootopia during the Night Howler Incident, and solver of many other cases," replied Dominic in a respectful tone, which made Judy blush a bit.

 _Someone's also done their homework on us?_ Thought Nick with a raised eyebrow as Stripes turned to him.

"And this is your partner, Office Nicholas P. Wilde," said Dominic, without the respect in his tone, but there was no harshness either. "He is also the first of his kind to be a police officer, and helped you in taking down Bellwether. Of course, he does, like many foxes, have a criminal past. I'm surprised they even let you into the academy."

"I didn't know I had such an big fan," replied Nick with a smirk. "Want me to sign my autograph?"

"Ahem," replied Judy, coughing into her paw. "If you don't mind Mr. Stripes, we'd like to ask a few questions."

"I was wondering why two police officers would like to talk to me," replied Dominic Stripes as he sat down on his chair and put his hands together on his desk.

"I take it you've heard on the news about the attacks on predator children recently? Two of which have been killed, with one of them being mistaken for a child?" inquired Judy, taking her handy carrot recording pen and paper. Nick decided to let her handle the questions and keep his focus on Dominic Stripes, seeing if he reacted in any way that stood out as a sense of guilt.

"I have," answered Dominic with disgust in his voice. "What kind of sick bastards would attack children like that."

"I'm surprise you care considering your political view on predators, sir," replied Judy, writing it down.

"I was wondering when we might get to that," replied Dominic Stripes, narrowing his eyes. "It's no secret that I harbor a harsher view on predators, but I'm afraid that's the fact of life. Most of the crimes and problems in this city are caused by predators these days. How safe is this city when we cannot trust a good portion of population, especially those in power, from not exploiting the other half or turning against it because they see them as weak? I've handled multiple civil cases where nearly every client of mine has gotten screwed, hurt, or their lives ruined because of predators who think that because they are bigger and stronger they can stomp on the rest of us. It may sound harsh, but predators, unless they change, are a danger in Zootopia. "

"And yet it was a prey type that caused the most destructive incident in Zootopia history. It's also a prey that is the head of the biggest crime family in Zootopia. I believe his name is Mr. Big?" replied Nick, earning the zebra's gaze on him. "In fact, wouldn't it be fair to say that the reason most crime has been stopped at all is because of predators who use their skill and size to subdue the criminals? Without them, I hate to see the chaos in the streets."

"Or the streets might be more peaceful if certain citizens were given an advantage such as a weapon for self-defence," replied Dominic.

"Anyway!" shouted Judy, trying to get back on track. "Sir, we're not here to discuss your political beliefs. We are here just to ask some questions. You see, we have reason to believe that the attackers are members of the Public Prey Protection club, specifically children the same age as the attackers."

Dominic Stripes narrowed his eyes so hard that both Judy and Nick thought that they were going to close shut. "Do you have any proof that members of the PPP are doing this?"

"The first victim, Josh Plains, stated that a beaver, elephant, bunny, zebra, and one unidentified race were behind the attack on him. We also have a second witness who saw him get followed by five teenagers wearing the jackets that the club is known for wearing," replied Judy. "I know this may be hard for you to believe, Mr. Stripes, but so far members of the club are our biggest suspects."

For a while, Dominic didn't speak, then he took off his glasses. "Do you know a child by the name of Jerry Hornstine?" The two shook his head. "He was a goat at the age of fourteen who was bullied everyday of his life by predators who did horrible things to him because they saw him weak and themselves strong. He didn't have friends, not even from fellow prey, because everyone was scared of sharing his bullying. Finally, Jerry couldn't take it anymore and hung himself outside the school's backyard at night with a single message: 'You made me do this'."

Judy and Nick stayed silent as the zebra continued. "I helped his parent win a lawsuit against the school for failing their son, but it wasn't enough. I realized that other children, those who were alone and scared of those bigger and deadlier then them, needed guidance and friends to keep themselves and secure. To show them that we are bigger in numbers then in size. The Public Prey Protection club was designed for preys to stand up to predators who bully them or any other threats against them both in school and outside of it. It's an organization designed to protect our children and make sure they grow up knowing their own kind is watching out for them. This organization has been around for years, and not once has there been any trouble from any division of the club, much less from a child. You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it."

"More like you're afraid of your narrative breaking?" asked Nick, leaning on the wall, earning another glare from Dominic. "I got a story for you as well. A little fox kit, named Miles Marsh from downtown whose mother and father worked decent jobs to pay for their kids schooling. Only he goes to a school where he's bullied because he's a fox and whenever something bad happened to a student, like something went missing or a prank happened, he was blamed for it even though he didn't do it. He got beaten up quite a lot, but always studied hard because he wanted to make a living out of himself and prove the world wrong about foxes. One day, some bullies decide to lock him in the boiler room, thinking the janitor will free him late at night. Only the janitor is on vacation. Come Monday, the find his corpse in the boiler room having died from dehydration with no water or food. His parents kill themselves in grief a few weeks later and the three are buried in a small cemetery with no gravestones 'cause none of their family cannot afford them."

Nick leaned forward and growled at stripes. "I can match any horror story you have, and the story here, Stripes, is that we got five _prey_ kids who are going around hurting and killing predator kids. And before you even accuse the idea that these three were all self-defense acts, these three were stripped naked, gagged, roped up, and… muzzled." Nick gave a small shiver. "Not to mention the word _savage_ was spray painted on their backs. If that doesn't scream 'I hate predators' I don't know what does."

Dominic didn't say anything, merely focus on Nick before turning to Judy. "What is it that you want?"

"A record of your members. Their profiles and addresses so we can see if there is any criminal record, bad behavior, and interview those we feel need to state where they were during the attacks," replied Judy.

"As the lawyer of the organization, I'm afraid I'll need to see a court order before I hand out any information regarding my clients," replied Dominic Stripes as he got up and put his glasses on.

"Sir, this information could help us save lives. More children are at risk the longer these five are out," replied Judy.

"And my heart does go out for them, believe me it does," responded Dominic with actual sincerity. "However, I am a lawyer for my people, and I have to protect their rights as well." He showed them the door. "I'll send out an email to all members to watch for any problems with unruly members, but I'm telling you that you have the wrong people. My organization would never do this. My people, the prey, are peaceful by nature."

"Dawn Bellwether would disagree," replied Nick.

"Dawn Bellwether became what she was because of Zootopia's flaws and predator's domination. She is as much a victim as those who suffered from her actions," replied Dominic Stripes, turning to Judy. "Tell me, Officer Hopps. We're you treated fairly when you arrived at Zootopia? A bunny cop of all things? We're you not mocked or ridiculed into thinking you were wasting your time?"

"… yes, I was," replied Judy, who placed her paws on her hips. "But I was blind to my own prejudice at the same time, Mr. Stripes. I learned from that mistake and it gave me the best friend, and partner, I ever had." Nick beamed upon hearing that. "And I proved myself over time. It took hard work, I fell a few times, but I got up and rose higher than ever. I've seen prejudice on both sides, Mr. Stripes. Predator's may hold powerful positions in our city and prey might out number them, but we're all Zootopians and we all work together for each other."

"I applaud you for thinking so, but you haven't seen the worst of what predators can do to prey," replied Dominic Stripes, lowering his head. "You haven't lost someone to them…"

"… what happened to your daughter was a tragic accident, but that's no reason to hate all predators," replied Judy.

"I don't hate all predators, Officer Hopps. I just don't trust them," replied Dominic as he glanced at Nick.

Nick rolled his eyes and was about to leave when he stopped and noticed a photo on the wall. Right next to a family of four, featuring Dominic, his wife, his deceased daughter, and what looked to be his younger son, was a photo of a Junior Ranger Scouts pack. A cold icy chill went through Nick's body as he saw five familiar faces of a zebra, hippo, woodchuck, goat, and deer. The name "Pack 914" was in the background on a flag as the five rangers saluted to the camera. Nick slowly turned to a confused Dominic and then back at the photo of the kid zebra.

"Nick?" asked Judy, but he couldn't hear her. "Nick, is everything okay?"

"Is there a reason you're staring at me like that Officer Wilde?" asked Dominic Stripes.

Nick slowly backed away as he felt sweat coming down his brow. His heart started racing as the echoing laughter and old blows started to come into his head once again. He found it harder and harder to breath, as if the muzzle was already tightening around him.

" _If you thought we would ever trust a fox without a muzzle, you're even dumber than you look._ "

He ran. He heard Judy scream his name, but he couldn't help it. He ran like a coward, terror on his face with nothing to stop him. He didn't even bother with the elevator, he just used the stairs and ran down them without any stop. He didn't stop until he was in the police car, taking deep breaths as he struggled not to cry.

It was him. After all these years, he meets one of them again. _And he didn't even recognize me!_

It wasn't long until Judy entered the car, concerned and asking what was going on. She reached out to touch him, but he his wild instincts forced him to hiss at her, making her jump back. However, seeing those scared and beautiful eyes made him stop and realize what he was doing. He took a few deeper breaths and slowly calmed down, resting his head against the car door.

"… Nick?" asked Judy, slowly approaching him. This time she placed her paw on his cheek, letting him gaze into her loving face. "Are you okay?"

"… No," replied Nick as he shut his eyes and rested on her chest, letting her stroke his head as he began to slowly weep.


	9. Chapter 9

_**AN: Not much to say, read on.  
**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't Own Zootopia**_

* * *

Nick's past was something Judy knew wasn't a happy story. He didn't tell everything, but what he did speak of made her only want to hug him until time itself ended. Judy had always counted herself blessed with her life for having such a big and carrying family, but she never once thought about how bad others had without that until she met the fox. Nick had only his mother, but she died and left him alone to face a world that had judged him the moment he was born. The worst memory he held to his heart was the muzzle incident. Just the very sight of one made Nick sometimes freeze up as he flashbacked to that terrible night. She long offered to help him by giving him someone to talk too, but Nick said he didn't want to see a shrink. Just Judy was enough for him.

When he had finally calmed down after his little fearful escapade in Stripes office, he told her what he had discovered: Dominic Stripes was the zebra who helped muzzle Nick all those years ago. Dominic had obviously forgotten about the whole thing, and didn't even known that Nick was that fox that tried to join his troop only to reject him in the worst way possible.

For a long time, the two of them just sat in their car, staring into the void while holding paws. Nick squeezed every so often and Judy would squeeze back for support. She didn't say anything. She just let him calm down on his own and wait for him to say the first thing.

Sure enough, he did.

"All these years… and he hadn't changed once," replied Nick, closing his eyes. "I'm not a very religious guy, but someone up there must really hate me."

"Nick," replied Judy as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "You're not a scare little fox anymore. You're a cop who, in a short time, has become the most important figure in my life. You're a hero to this city, and it needs you now." She smiled at him. "He may have not changed, but you did, and for the better."

He smiled and turned to look at her with his charming eyes. "Thanks, Carrots… Judy… That means a lot to me."

"Do you want to go back and yell his stripes off?" asked Judy, who was all for yelling at the zebra that messed with her boyfriend.

"Nah, I think we better head back to the office. We should get that court order… then we can yell his stripes off," said Nick, grinning.

* * *

"Alright class, time to head home. Remember to read pages one hundred and thirty-nine to one hundred and fifty for the test. Have a nice day," said the tiger teacher as his students rushed out of the classroom. However, before a young white-tailed buck with small antlers and baggy eyes could leave, his teacher called him out. "Bronn? Can I speak to you for a second?"

The young buck gulped and nodded before walking over to his teacher who gazed down at him with worry eyes. "Yes, Mr. Fang?"

"Bronn, is everything okay?" asked Mr. Fang as he knelt down, fixing his glasses. "You've been barely attentive in class the past few days, and you look like you hadn't slept well. Is everything okay at home?"

Bronn forced himself to nod. Sleeping was something he barely got anymore. Not since they killed that retarded wolf on the docks. He still had images of him and his friends bashing his brains out. Combined with slicing that fox's neck and having the blood all over the ground as he gasped for breath. No matter how much the others tried to convince him it was for the greater good, he couldn't help but feel disgusted at himself. He had murdered two animals: one of which was an adult. Beating up the lion who had been boyfriends with that other deer was one thing… but this had made him feel sick every day.

Yet he couldn't back down, or tell anybody. If he did he would be in _**BIG**_ trouble, and the others would hate him. Especially their leader.

"Y-yeah," replied Bronn, rubbing his head. "I've just been video gaming a lot late at night."

Mr. Fang sighed but got up with his arms crossed. "Well, you need to sleep. It's not good for a child to not get his eight hours of sleep. I know video games with your friends are fun, but you need to keep yourself healthy. If you don't start sleeping better, I'll notify your parents of what's going on."

"I-I promise!" replied Bronn, nodding his head. "Can I go now?"

Mr. Fang smiled and nodded, allowing Bronn to sigh in relief and rush out. He barely made it to his locker when he got a text from his phone. He opened it, only to free up.

 _Meet Today. New Target: A Real Kit Fox. – MuzYa341_

Bronn shivered. Their _leader_ was really pissed off that the fox they killed wasn't a child, but an adult. Not that it made Bronn and some of the others feel better of doing it. Granted, none of them but their _leader_ delivered the final blow, but they all tore him up with the knives he had gotten. He really had a bad feeling about that guy. Ever since they met online, he had thought of him as a close friend, somebody who shared the same feelings he did about predators getting away with injustices.

He could still see that sick bastard of a panthar's face as the judge called for a mistrial due to the mistake of handling evidence by the prosecutor. His sister went silent for a week before she ran away. Nobody knew what happed to her at first, but then months later she had been found her in a different city from a drug overdose after living the life of a prostitute for eight months.

That was half a year ago, and even now the thought of his once sweet older sister lying dead in a coffin while the bastard that ruined their lives was alive all but pissed him off. Sure, the panther went to jail later for raping again, but he could have been stopped the first time. Joining the PPP helped deal with the pain, but it wasn't until he met _him_ online that he began to find others like him. Others who had suffered at the hands of praetors yet were denied the justice they had. At first, _he_ seemed like a leader who knew everything… but then he started getting the idea of "payback" to the predators who took their loved ones.

Bronn didn't hate all praetors, Mr. Fang was a great teacher and some of his fellow students were nice. Heck, even Katie Blues, an artic wolf, wrote him a Valentine's Day card that he like a few months ago. But he was so angry and driven he was all for it.

Until they murdered that wolf… then it became something Bronn was starting to feel guilty for. More than once he thought about telling someone, but the idea of going to jail and having his parents left without their only kid was what stopped him. His parents went through so much losing his sister, even almost divorcing one time, but he worked hard to keep them together. He wasn't going to let that happen.

"Hey, man," replied a voice from behind. Turning around, he saw his best bunny friend, Ellis, looking at him with his phone in hand. "You get his text?"

"Yeah…"

"Dude… I'm really starting to get worried…" replied Ellis, grumbling. "I mean, my dad is starting to wonder what I do at night…"

"That's all your worried about?!" hissed Bronn, as he leaned closer. "Ellis, we killed two animals!"

"Shhh!" Ellis looked over his shoulder. "Dude, keep it down. You want everyone to hear you?"

"Doesn't it bother you that we took two lives?! One was bad enough, but two? Now we're going to do a third?" whispered Bronn.

Ellis squirmed a bit. "Y-yeah… but… come on, one was mentally challenged and is better off dead. The other was a thief. You saw it on the news, right? He was a criminal. Nobody is going to miss him."

"So, what happens if we kill a dog whose only crime was stealing a cookie? Or a wolverine who sings at his church choir? Did any of us think of what the parents, family, or friends are going through, Ellis?!" whispered Bronn, doing his best to hide a tear in his eyes. "I just… I hate this… this is wrong…"

"Dude, we made a promise…" replied Ellis, as he gripped his best friends' shoulders, bringing him down to his eye level. "We promised we would make them feel the same pain we all did. They should suffer for what they have done… you and I have been friends since our diaper days and we both went through hell when you lost your sister and I lost my mother… we're doing this for them…"

"… but when does it stop, Ellis?" asked Bronn, looking at him with pleading eyes. "When does it stop?"

Ellis didn't answer.

* * *

It turned out a court order was going to take time to properly get due to the controversy of nature of the warrant. Dominic Stripes had already asked another lawyer of the PPP to delay the court order as did other parents of the PPP who thought this was an invasion of privacy. The D.A. assured they would get it, but right now it was the waiting game again.

"This is why I hate bureaucracy sometimes," replied Nick as he sat at his desk, typing into his computer. "Actually, I don't like bureaucracy at all. If you want, I can get somebody off the record to steal those files?"

"Nick, we're doing this legally. As tempted as I am to ask you to do it, we need to be smart about this," replied Judy, shaking her desk. "Besides the obvious notion that doing so might get all evidence thrown out in a court case, if you do that method then you're only proving Dominic is right in his racist views towards you."

Nick bit his lip. "I know… just knowing that this guy is refusing to help us catch some killers should be a crime in of itself. Lord knows I'd love to punish the guy if he's connected in any way," replied Nick, grinning at the thought of slapping handcuffs to the one who helped make his childhood a living hell.

"Let's talk about something else," replied Judy, as she turned to her partner's desk. "Did you find Finnick's son yet?"

"His old man gave me the address of where they live. I'm just looking them up right now," replied Nick as a screen shot of the two parent's driver licenses and their info came up. There was also a set of adoption papers copied on the screen. "Remus Remen and Roxy Remen, married for seven years. Tried to have a pup of their own, but he died in stillbirth, complications in the pregnancy prevented Roxy from having more kids. Adopted a fox kit, named him Kyu Remen, and have been loving parents since. Father works in insurance while the mother stays at home with an online movie review blog. No prior arrests. No problems at home. Grandparents on both sides are clean. Really, it seems like a normal family."

"That's good, right. It mean's Kyu's been living a happy life," replied Judy, who walked over to check it out.

"Y-yeah," replied Nick as he looked at the little fox kit smiling at him. He had Finnick's fur color and his smile. His nose too. The rest must have been his mother. "I've been thinking of how I should tell them this… I don't know if I should call or…"

Judy smiled as she put her paw on his shoulder. "I think you should go talk to them. It might be better coming from a friend of his father's."

Nick looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, tell Chief Hornhead I went to take my lunch early." He quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting up and taking his sunglasses. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Keep me posted."

Judy nodded as she watched him head towards the elevator as Officer Pond and Jordon walked over. "Man, you two got it bad," replied Pond with a smile. "I saw that kiss. Damn, girl. You really are in love with each other."

Judy blushed as she rubbed her arm. "I guess…"

"Anyway, romance aside, we think we got something that could help our case," replied Jordon, showing a file. "Forensic found a hair at the last crime scene. Only it wasn't the victim's it was a deer's hair."

"That's great, but a lot of deer are part of the PPP. How does it help?" asked Judy, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, this isn't no ordinary hair. This a white hair from the tail of a deer," replied Pond with a grin. "And all we need to do is find out who among the PPP is a White-Tailed Deer and we got a closer chance of finding a suspect. After all, their kind aren't very common in Zootopia."

"No, they aren't," replied Judy with a smile. "This is great. We're one step closer. Let me call someone who might be able to help us out."

* * *

Nick hated going to Tundra Town. He hated the damn cold, and he hated snow. It always got his fur wet and by the end of the day he was going to have a runny nose. Still, he had a job to do as Finnick's friend. He parked his police car outside the Remen's house and took a deep breath while staring at the letter Finnick wrote to his son. He wondered if Kyu would want to know the man who was his real father, or reject him for the criminal life style he had. Not to mention his adopted parents might not want it to have him know if they knew who he was.

Nick thought about lying, but he quickly shook that idea off. It would be an insult to Finnick's memory to do that. Deciding he had wasted enough time stalling, he got out of the car and made sure his coat was tight and tucked as the winter cold blew against his face. Rushing to the door, he rang the doorbell and waited.

A few seconds later, Mrs. Remen opened the door wearing a simple pink sweater and jeans. "Hello, officer. Can I help you?"

"Roxy Remen? My name is… Officer Nick Wilde," he replied, forcing a smile. "May I come in? It's kinda freezing outside, which is the normal here, but when I'm from you don't live in an area where your butt gets turned into an ice cube."

"Sure, come on. Would you like some tea?" asked Mrs. Remen, letting him inside before closing the door.

"Sure, thank you," replied Nick as he was guided into the living room. He froze upon seeing who was inside.

Kyu, wearing a red shirt with Marshall the Paw Patrol dog on it, and his adopted father who wore black all over, were by the fire place, playing checkers with some hot cocoa next to them. Kyu was grinning in a way that almost made Nick faint because of how similar it was to Finnick's grin. Mr. Remen looked a bit perplexed and annoyed at the same time which was easy to see why upon looking at the game. Kyu was owning him badly. Moving his next piece, Mr. Remen's jaw dropped when Kyu quickly took six of his pieces in one move and proudly announced. "King me."

"But… how…" replied Mr. Remen as he looked at the pieces closely. "How did you take my pieces so quickly."

"Oh, I'm just good," replied Kyu, shifting himself. From this angle, Nick could see what looked like pieces of game hidden in his back pocket.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle. _Just like his old man._

"Dear, we have a guest," replied Mrs. Remen, alerting the two. Kyu's eyes widened when he saw Nick as he got up and quickly looked at him with awe. "Wow, you're a police officer!"

"Indeed, I am," replied Nick as he walked forward and held out his hand. "Name's Officer Nick Wilde of the ZPD."

"Cool, I want to be a police officer when I grow up!" replied Kyu as he shook his hand.

"Well, I think the first thing you should do is not learn how to steal pieces from the game," replied Nick as he showed the black pieces that were once in Kyu's pocket and now in his paw. Kyu looked at him in disbelief. "You got potential kit, but I mastered this a longtime ago."

"You little cheater," laughed Mr. Remen as he gave his son a noogie. "I knew you couldn't have won that easy."

"All's fair in love and war," quoted Kyu, sticking his tongue out. He then gasped before turning to Nick. "You're not here to arrest me, are you Mr. Wilde?"

"Why would I do that? Did you do something bad?" asked Nick, smiling as he leaned down.

"Kyu here thought it would be funny to super glue one of his classmates to his seat today," replied Mrs. Remen with an amused smirk.

"Hey, that guy deserved it. He called Susie names, and I hate bullies," pouted Kyu, crossing his arms before grinning. "Besides, now everybody knows he likes to wear Bubble Guppies underwear."

Nick laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm not here to arrest you, but next time you pull a prank, try not to get caught. Here's a fox hit, use a distraction to get everyone's attention off you."

"A distraction, huh?" asked Kyu, smiling as he rubbed his chin. "That gives me a few ideas."

"Alright, you little troublemaker. Head upstairs and do your homework while we talk to the police officer," replied Mr. Remen, shaking his kit's hair before kissing him on the head.

"Fine, see you later Mr. Wilde!" shouted Kyu as he rushed towards the stairs.

"He's a trouble maker, but a smart and good boy. One of the best in his class," replied Mrs. Remen, as she handed Nick the tea promised from earlier. "I take it it's a fox thing?"

"Sorta, a lot of foxes like pranks," replied Nick as he sat down on a chair across from the couch the two parents were using. "I've done a few myself."

"So, not to be rude, but why are you here officer? Is there a problem?" asked Mr. Remen, sitting next to his wife.

Nick took a few sips from the tea to prepare himself before turning his attention to the two. "I'm here… because it's about Kyu's father… his birth father."


	10. Chapter 10

_**AN: I struggled to get this one done in one day. This is because I'm moving to Albany for a new job. Sorry it took so long, but I am happy to say we are at the halfway point or at least close to it. Get ready for a big shock that will happen in this chapter because its only going to get bigger from here. Brace yourselves is all I can say.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't Own Zootopia**_

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Remen looked at Nick with such wide eyes that the fox wondered if they were going to pop out. He sipped some more tea before putting it down on the coffee table while waiting for the wolf couple to regain their senses. Mrs. Remen then gasped, "Oh, my. Are you… are you…"

Chuckling, Nick shook his head. "No, I'm not Kyu's dad, I'm just his father's best friend. I… honestly didn't know he had a son until recently."

The couple held paws as they looked at each other with concerned faces. "Is there something wrong? Is Kyu's father wishing him back?" asked Mr. Remen, narrowing his eyes as if he was ready for a fight. That only earned respect in Nick's eyes.

The fox shook his head, allowing them to relax a bit. "No… I'm actually here… because Kyu's father, Finnick… he…" He took a deep breath, struggling to say the words while fighting of a tear threatening to come down his cheek. "He died." Mrs. Remen gasped as she covered her mouth with her free paw. The two looked at each other in shock before their eyes drifted upwards towards the stairs, hoping their son wasn't listening in. When they were sure he wasn't there, they turned back to Nick with pleading faces. Nick continued, "He was murdered a few days ago. I… I won't go into details, but… I take it you heard of the adult fox that was killed in the news recently?"

"That was him? That was our son's father?" gasped Mr. Remen, slowly turning white. "The… the way he was killed…"

"Yes, we think… we think they believed he was a kit. The group we're after-that I'm after-is targeting predator children," explained Nick, slowly closing his eyes. "I came here because Kyu deserves to know who is father was… and I have a letter from Finnick to him that I was asked to deliver should anything happen." Nick took out the letter and pawed it over to Mr. Remen.

"The news said he was a thief and a conman," replied Mrs. Remen.

Nick bit his lip and sighed. "I'm not going to lie. Finnick was a criminal. I was too. You must understand, we had no other way to survive. We lost, or were abandoned, by our parents. We didn't murder anybody or did anything gang related. We stole, we gambled, we hustled, and we conned. And it helped us survive. I only got out thanks to my partner and best friend. Finnick stayed in the underworld because it was all he knew." He could see the unsure looks on their faces. "Look, I'm not going to say that Finnick was a saint. I'm not either. But he gave up Kyu and used everything he could to find him a good home because he knew he could never be a good father nor give his son the proper life he needed. He did all that because he loved him, and I think that should prove that deep down he was a good guy."

Mr. Remen continued to stare at the letter while Mrs. Remen looked at her husband before patting him on the back. "Dear, he should know. It is his father."

"I know," replied Mr. Remen, sighing. "I'm just worried… I mean we just got through the whole 'you're adopted' thing… but now…"

"Why don't I talk to him?" offered Nick as he stood up. "Maybe he can understand from a fellow fox."

The two wolves looked at each other before nodding to Nick. Nick took back the letter before making his way up the stairs to where he saw the bedrooms. Closed was a red door with a T-Rex poster on it which made it obvious who it was for. He knocked on the door and asked, "Kyu, can I come in?"

"Sure."

He opened the door and saw Kyu, staring at the wall in silence while huddled on his bed. He was hugging his knees and looking a bit dazed in the eyes. It didn't take Nick long to figure out he overheard everything and soon spotted a small hole on the floor, right above where the living room would be below. Smirking a bit at the cleverness, he walked up to the bed and sat down next to Kyu. Neither fox said anything for awhile as the silence grew around them.

"Is… my dad… my real dad... gone?" asked Kyu, looking up at Nick with his gentle and yet fragile eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kyu," whispered Nick as he hugged the little kit who hugged him back. Neither cried nor said anything, but took in each other's embrace. Slowly breaking off the hug, Nick whispered, "He did love you, Kyu. I'm sure of it. If he could have taken care of you, he would have."

"Thank you," replied Kyu as he looked up at Nick with a small smile. "You said he had a letter for me… do you want to read it together."

"I'd be happy to do so," replied Nick as he took out the letter and opened it before holding it out for the two of them.

 _To My Son,_

 _I don't know how much you know about me, or if you ever tried looking me up, but my name is Finnick Constantine, and I am your father. If you hate me because I gave you up, I understand. Let's just say we both share disappointing fathers in our lives. Just let me say my peace because I want to get some of this out. When your mother... gave you to me on my doorstep my entire world went blank. I had a son. A real son. When I stared into your eyes I knew you were mine, and I wanted nothing more then to hold you and care for you. But I lived in a van. A nice van, but a van nonetheless._

 _That's no place to raise a kit._

 _I'm a thief. A criminal. Ask Nick about all the jobs we did. I'm assuming he's there provided he hasn't gotten his butt killed yet._

Nick snorted upon reading that

 _I wasn't a great guy. I've had a lot of vices. Heck, I didn't see much of a future for me. But I wanted a future for you. I wanted you to have what I never had: a real chance. I used everything I had to get you adopted by the Remen's. I hope you've been happy, loved, and safe after all these years. I just wish I had a chance to be there for you growing up. If you don't want anything to do with your old man, I'm not going to hold it again you._

 _Just remember three things:_

 _Never stop fighting. The world is cruel, especially to foxes, so always keep fighting._

 _Trust Nick. He's a brother to me. He'll watch over you. His rabbit friend too._

 _Never get caught._

 _Love, Your Father, Finnick_

Nick looked down at Kyu who was teary-eyed, but he was smiling nonetheless. "He sounded cool."

"He was," replied Nick as he pawed the letter to Kyu as well as a card. "I have to go now, or else my boss is going to skin me good. My number is on that card. If you need anything, just let me know."

Kyu nodded, but as Nick began to leave he shouted, "Wait, Nick!" He turned around. "Since my father said you were like a brother… that would make you my uncle, right?"

Nick's eyes widened before he smiled. "Uncle Nick, huh? Sure, why not."

The two foxes smiled before Nick fully went down the stairs where Kyu's parents were waiting. They relaxed upon seeing his smirk before Mrs. Remen went past Nick. Most likely to check up on her son. Nick made his way towards the door, but stopped before leaving. "Finnick's funeral is in a week. If you want to come, I'd be happy to invite you."

"… I'll talk it over with my family," replied Mr. Remen as he held out his paw and Nick shook it. "Please be safe out there, Officer Wilde."

"Thanks, you too," replied Nick as he exited the house. However, just as he did so his phone started to ring, and he answered it. "Hello?"

" _Nick, it's Winston. We got them,"_ replied the voice on the other end.

"Where?" asked Nick, rushing to his police car.

" _Sahara Square. One of my agents is playing as a kit and reported how he was being followed by a beaver, elephant, rabbit, deer, and zebra for the past thirty minutes. He's going to lead them to Northtail_ _Ave's junkyard where you can catch them."_

And with that the phone went dead.

* * *

" _I don't know how much help I can be, Officer Judy,"_ answered Lucas on the other end of the phone. _"We have so many members, and none of the leaders are white tailed deer."_

"I know, but maybe you can contact the leaders and ask if they have any members that are white tailed deer _._ It would help us with the case, Lucas," replied Judy, praying that Lucas would help her out.

"… _Okay, I'll come up with lie to pass it off as nothing. Anything to help catch these guys who did this to Josh,"_ replied Lucas, much to Judy's relief.

"That's great, Lucas. Thank you," replied Judy, smiling. "How are you and Josh doing?"

" _Well… we told our parents we were dating. Kinda hard not to when you rush into a hospital room and kiss him on the lips,"_ chuckled Lucas. _"After the shock, out parents had us talk and they're okay with it if we don't do anything…_ _ **mature,**_ _until we're eighteen."_

"Well, I'm glad everything worked out. Please let us know if you or Josh need anything," replied Judy before the call ended. She turned to Jordon and Pond. "Once we get a list of the members who are white tailed deer we can start narrowing it down."

"At least its something," said Jordon, crossing his arms. "Although, we don't know where these kids are going to strike next.

"Chances are it's going to be another fox. If the leader of this pack doesn't like the fact they didn't get their ideal target they're going to try again," replied Pond, rubbing her trunk.

"Nick said he's taken care of it. All we have to do is wait, and hope we can stop them before they kill again," replied Judy.

"How did Nick manage to do that?" asked Jordon.

Judy shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't tell me. He kinda keeps lip about his past criminal conn-"

" _ **Attention! Officers Hopps, Jordon, and Pond! Suspects spotted at**_ _ **Northtail** _**_Ave's_** _ **junkyard in Sahara Square! Suspects believed to be armed and dangerous. Officer Wilde is on route!"**_ shouted Clawhauser over the intercom.

"Let's move! Hopps, come with us!" shouted Pond as the three of them dashed for the elevator. The location wasn't that far so there was a chance they could make it before they ended up with another body.

 _Please, let's make it on time!_ Begged Judy to whatever higher power was watching over them.

* * *

"Where is he?! He was right here!" shouted a voice as five kids, dressed in ski masks and black clothing looked around the center of the junkyard. They had followed their target, another fox kit, towards this place but soon lost sight of him. The leader of the group, a zebra, growled as he began to curse, and order the rest of them to spread out and search for the vermin.

Bronn looked around the junkyard where he decided to check one of the rusty old cars with Ellis. Knife clutched in his paw, Bronn was beginning to wonder if the fox knew he was being followed and ran here to escape them. He had a bad feeling about all this. It didn't help that they were doing this is in the daylight as well. Their leader told them they had to ditch their Prey Protection Jackets for black clothing, so they couldn't get identified, bur Bronn felt it was a bit too late for that. His phone had been buzzing with texts from his mother asking where he was, but he ignored it. He didn't have the heart to reply to her when he was out committing another murder.

"You spot anything?" asked Ellis, poking from behind the car.

"No, I don't think he's here. He has to be long gone by now," replied Bronn, hoping he was. This way they didn't have to kill someone again.

"He's going to be pissed," replied Ellis as the two of them began to walk back, careful of any dangers in the area. "Wish I had a dog's nose. Could have sniffed that vermin in a heartbeat."

"Maybe we can call it a day? We're not going to find him and-"

At that moment, Bronn heard a sound that caused his heart to stop beating and his spine to freeze in fear. Sirens. Police sirens. Coming from the direction of the entrance of the junkyard. The two looked at each other with wide eyes before both of their phones buzzed. Opening it, the two saw a single line of text from their leader: " _Police are here. Run."_

* * *

As soon as she exited the car, Judy took out her tranquilizer gun and turned off the safety. Technically, she was in reason to use her pistol, but these were still kids in Judy's mind and she didn't want that on her conscious. Officers Jordon and Pond also drew their weapons and the three of them covered the entrance Judy signaled them to check out the left path while she took the right. They nodded and moved out.

Slowly making her way down the path full of junk and trash, the lone rabbit officer kept her gun ready, aiming at even the slightest movement. She didn't know what these kids had as weapons, but she wasn't ready to find out the hard way. A sound quickly made her snap to her right and aim, but stopped when she noticed an empty can come down from a small hill of trash. Curious, she moved forward and used one paw to move the disgusting waste around but found nothing much to her relief.

Her radio then went up. _"This is Officer Pond! Officer Jordon and I are in pursuit of the suspects!"_

Judy went for her radio. "Copy that. I'm still-"

 _ **SNAP!**_

She turned around again, this time spotting a young buck and a rabbit, both in black and in ski masks, frozen in place as the rabbit slowly lifted his foot off a bag of half eaten chips. For a few seconds they started at each other and then the two children bolted like lightning.

"Freeze! ZPD! Stop!" shouted Judy as she rushed after them. Reaching for her radio, she called, "Officer Hopps is in pursuit of two suspects. One buck and one rabbit. Requesting back up!"

" _We're still after these guys, Hopps. Sorry, but you're on your own!"_ replied Jordon.

" _Carrots, I'm on my way, hold on!"_ cried Nick on the other radio.

The kids were fast, but Judy wasn't one of the fastest on the force for no reason. She quickly began to catch up with them, leaping over used piles of trash and even did an impressive flip over a broken stove. The path was leading them towards a dead end where the only thing surrounding them were piles of trash. They froze and looked over at Judy who aimed her gun at them. "It's over, get on the ground." However, the two weren't giving up as they soon started climbing a large pile of trash. Judy rolled her eyes. "They never do as their told," she said before climbing after them.

Compared to wall climbing at the academy, this wasn't even close to being difficult and was soon catching up to them. The suspected decided to even the odds by taking whatever they could from the mountain of junk and throw it at her. Judy yipped as she dodged and jump side to side to avoid everything from toaster ovens, porno magazines, and rotten fruit. She managed to avoid most of them except for a pair of used underwear that landed on her face. "Yuck!" She tossed it away and growled before climbing after them. Now she was going to have to wash her face three times to get rid of that smell.

The buck, who was struggling to get up past the halfway point, kicked a piece of trash over which slowly knocked into another pile. Then another pile and another. Soon a small avalanche of disgust and filth was coming down on Judy's tiny figure. She gasped but years of training kicked in as she jumped high into the air to avoid getting smashed by a canoe, then landed on a spring chair which she used the moment up to jump over the rest of the falling trash. The force, combined with her powerful legs, was enough to propel her all the way to the top of the trash mountain much to the two's shock. After getting her balance, she aimed her gun at them. "Its over, come up with your paws up."

However, the bunny quickly drew a sharp knife and threw it at Judy. "Ellis, no!" shouted the buck in horror. Time seemed to slow down for Judy whose eyes widened upon seeing her own reflection in the blade. She leaned back as far as she could, just barely avoiding it scratching her face before landing on her back. Shocked at the fact that they even _tried_ to kill her, Judy almost missed the fact that the two kids were sliding down the junk pile. Regaining her focus, Judy looked for something she could use and soon found an ironing board. Grinning, she grabbed and used it to slide down like a surf board.

"Cowabunga!" she cried out as she shortened the gap between them. When she was sure she was close enough, she leaped off the ironing board and tacked the young buck suspect. The two tumbled down, struggling against each other until they landed on the bottom.

"Bronn!" shouted the rabbit as he rushed over to help, but was tackled by the side from a blue and orange blur. He too struggled, but froze upon seeing the teeth growling at him.

"Give me a reason. Any reason," replied Nick, glaring down at them with such hate the poor rabbit peed himself before stopping his struggles. Nick forced him to turn around and began to pawcuff him. "You got him, Carrots?"

Judy forced her suspect down and quickly cuffed him as well. "Got him," she whispered. "We got them." She then took off the mask and stared into the eyes of a scared teenager who began to whimper. Nick did the same, only the rabbit was glaring at them. "You have the right to remain silent anything-"

 _ **BANG! BANG!**_

Pigeons in the are scattered as all four of them froze up upon hearing it. Judy and Nick glanced at each other just as the radio exploded into life and said the worst thing every cop never wants to hear.

" _Shots fired! 10-108! 10-108! Officer down! I repeat, Officer Pond is down! Suspects are 10-32! I need back up and a bus now!"_ shouted a terrified Officer Jordon.

"Judy, go! I'll watch over them!" shouted Nick, knowing she was the fastest to respond. He pulled something from his waist and tossed it to her. "Here, go with this!"

She caught it and realized it was Nick's Glock 22. "R-right!" shouted Judy before rushing off. She grabbed her radio. "Officer Hopps responding to 10-108! Jordon, where are you?!"

" _Near a metal shop!_ _ **Where is the backup!"**_ screamed Jordon, with the sound of tears at the end.

" _ **All units! Head to the North 12**_ _ **th**_ _ **Ave's junkyard in Sahara Square! Code 10-00! Medical is on route!"**_ shouted Clawhauser's voice.

"Please, God. Please, God. Please, God," muttered Judy as she rushed through the junkyard like never. The thought of Officer Pond shot made her stomach nearly repulse its lunch as she tried not to think about the good times she had with her. How she treated Judy with respect and joked with her about her relationship with Nick, as well as giving her the advice to even date him in the first place.

After five minutes of searching, she found them, and her heart sank while her breath left her. Officer Pond was on the ground, in a pool of her own blood, with two gun shot wounds in the chest. Fatal ones if her memory of the elephant body was correct. Jordon was screaming at her to hold on before screaming at Judy to help him which knocked her back into reality. She rushed over, taking off her shirt and exposing herself while using it to cover the wound. Officer Pond opened her eyes and gasped before smiling her blood-soaked teeth at Judy. "Hey, H-H-Hopps. D-d-d-don't go off… showing that… chest around. You'll make Nick jealous…"

"Don't talk, just hold on," replied Judy.

"F-Fuck it… I'm done for…," sighed Pond, shaking her head. "Shit… never got married…. Or have kids… at least I got laid a f-f-f-few times…"

"Don't say that, Elizabeth, you're going to be fine! I'm not losing my best friend! We promised we'd be at each other's wedding and retire together!" shouted Jordon, tears in his eyes. " _Damnit, why did you get in front of me!"_

"It's… what partners… do…" responded Pond before coughing up more blood. "Don't… blame… yourself… I'm always s-s-s… saving… yer s-s-sorry furred butt…"

"Liz…" wept Jordon as he covered one face with his paw while screaming into the radio to hurry.

Pond turned her head to Judy. "Judy… listen…" Judy leaned closer, rubbing her eyes with her blood-soaked paws as she struggled to not cry as Pond's eyelids began to lower. "What… ya got with N-N-Nick… is special… remem… ber… live… only… once… on… ce…" Her eyes finally lost her strength and closed her eyes. Judy and Jordon both heard her last breath before she turned silent. Jordon didn't say anything at first, but then the dam burst, and he screamed, falling on top of her bleeding chest and crying into her blood-soaked shirt. He shouted her name and begged her to come back.

Judy just slowly stared at her peaceful deceased face and then at her blood-soaked paws. Slowly, she weakly reached for her radio. She turned it on for the whole unit to hear.

"Officer Pond is dead. Repeat… Officer Pond… is dead."

The ambulance arrived just five seconds later. Five seconds too late.

* * *

Even after they had been cleaned, Judy still could see Pond's blood on her paws. She had been around dead bodies and even bleeding bodies before. But never a friend. Never a fellow officer. The entire outside area of the junkyard was swarming with cops, civilians, and reporters. The last one wanted to ask her questions, but Judy wasn't in the mood. She looked up and saw her fellow officers stand in silence and salute as the body bag carrying Officer Pond's corpse was taken from the Junkyard and towards a nearby ambulance. Jordon was silently following them with the chief comforting him as he looked he saddest that Judy had ever seen him.

The cameras then started flashing and Judy turned to see why. The two suspects they had captured, the ones behind all this, were being presented while forced towards the police car that would take them to the station. They looked scared, ashamed, and even appeared ready to burst into tears, but Judy held no sympathy for them. It was taking all of Judy's willpower to not just beat them to a bloody pulp, but she held on. Once they were in the car, room was made for it to drive away.

"Some of the reporters are saying this is a win in the case," replied Nick, walking over to her. "Personally, I don't see it that way." He turned to the EMT's loading Pond's body. "It was too big of a cost."

"… she was my friend. And they killed her."

"I know, Judy," replied Nick as he hugged her and let her rest her head on his chest. "We'll get them. We got two. We just need three more. We'll get them I promise."

Judy didn't care if they were in public and cameras were everywhere. She just started to cry while in Nick's warm embrace.


	11. Chapter 11

_**AN: I'm back and still writing.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't Own Zootopia**_

* * *

Normally, a hot shower at end of a shift was a welcoming gift, but Judy Hopps didn't feel any warmer then she did an hour ago. The water mixed with her tears as she sat in her shower stall, wishing her parents were there to comfort her. God knows they were most likely worried by now since the news was going on about how a cop was shot apprehending two suspects.

Rubbing her face, Judy wondered how the children they had in custody felt right now. Did they feel anything upon not only killing a cop, but a prey one was well? How on earth did the children even managed to get a gun in the first place? Zootopia was one of the the most heavy gun control areas in the country, yet it seemed even those can't prevent such tragedies from happening.

The shots that killed Pond were good too. Right next to the heart. Plus, the bullets had to have been heavy ones to kill an elephant. _Meaning, the shooter was trained in this,_ thought Judy, rubbing her chin. _This is getting worse. If they are planning to use guns now, the body count can only get higher and higher._

The only positive thing they had was that two of the five were in custody. They had their names, records, and everything. The parents had already been notified, and they were on their way. Due to the law, the police couldn't speak to them unless a parent or guardian was present. Not that it had stopped Jordon from trying to bust in and yell at them for murdering his partner and best friend.

The Chief had to order Jordon to head home after that.

Getting up, Judy turned the water off, grabbed her towel, and began to dry off. She sighed, looking at her paw while envisioning all that blood. _If I had gotten there sooner… no, don't think that._

Nothing could have saved Elizabeth Pond from dying. The wound was too serious, and it was clear she had lost too much blood. Unless Judy was given the miraculous ability to heal with touch, there was nothing that could have been done.

"I sweat Pond, I will give you justice," muttered Judy as she clenched her fist.

* * *

 _I really owe Winston,_ thought Nick as he watched the two suspects in separate interrogation rooms. The buck had cried for a long time before calming down and looking ready for his execution. The rabbit had been pacing around nonstop. Chief Bogo grumbled to himself as he stared at the two with a glare even more hateful then the time Nick super glued him to his own personal toilet

 _Worth the two weeks of parking duty,_ thought Nick with a smirk.

The door opened, alerting the two of Judy who entered in with a nod to both. She stared at the two kids with as much control as possible, but the ever so frowning twitch that Nick saw made it clear she wanted to rip into them. "What have we got?"

"So far, the rabbit has been cursing at us, and the buck has been doing nothing but shed tears," replied Chief Bogo, as he grabbed a file next to him and opened it. "Bronn Forrest and Ellis Bush. Both the same age, go to the same school, and the same PPP club at said school. Bronn's sister was raped by serial rapist Tagi Nocturne around a year ago, but was found not guilty due to evidence mishandling. He was later arrested again for rape, and is currently serving a twenty-five-year sentence. His sister, however, ran away after her trial, ended up as a hooker, and died of drug overdose half a year ago. Ellis Bush's mother ran off with crocodile to Las Vegan when he was seven, leaving him and his father to fend for themselves. His mother was found a year later, half-eaten by the crocodile who was later connected to six other murders of female prey types. Killed by police in a shootout."

"That explains their hatred for predators," replied Nick, rubbing his neck. "Can't say I fully blame them though. To go through that kind of shit at their age?"

"What they still did was wrong," replied Judy, shaking her head. "Innocent animals are dead because of them, and they need to face the law for it."

The door opened again, this time it was someone they never saw before. A male black cat in a blue suit with glasses, holding a briefcase. "Sorry, I'm late. The district caught me during a date, but I rushed right over when they told me you got two of the Predator Hunters."

"And you are?" asked Judy, raising an eyebrow.

"He's a lawyer," replied Nick, knowing the type as Judy and Bogo looked at him. "Hey, don't judge me."

"To be correct, I'm the prosecutor from the DA's office. My name is Nate Neko," he shook their hands before looking at the suspects. "Have they said anything?"

"Except for a few curse words? No," replied Chief Bogo. "Also, Predator Hunters?"

"That's what the news is calling them. Hunters for predators and all," answered Nate, shrugging his shoulders. "I was hoping the kids could say something to save themselves. Hopefully, their parents can do that. Once we get names, we can arrest the rest and put this entire thing to a rest."

A text message went on Chief Bogo's phone as he opened it up and sighed. "Speak of the devil. They've arrived, and they brought a lawyer with him."

"Just one?" asked Judy.

"It's Dominic Stripes."

* * *

After being given a few moments with their sons, it was decided that both suspects would be sharing the same interrogation room. Judy took a moment look at the parents of the so called "Predator Hunters". Mr. and Mrs. Forrest were as plain looking deer as you can get, but it was clear that Mr. Forrest was not happy that his son was arrest while his wife was holding her scared looking son as if they were going to eat him. As for Mr. Bush, well... it was clear that his wife leaving him had affected him in a very negative way. Besides the glares both father and son were giving each other, the rabbit reeked of alcohol and looked like he hadn't been to a gym in years. Sitting between them, eyes as cold as steel, was Dominic Stipes dressed and ready to throw their case down.

"So, what did my stupid son do this time? Graffiti? Got caught in a strip club? Decided to start smoking?" asked Mr. Bush, while his son rolled his eyes.

"Mr. Bush, you aren't aware of your son's charges?" asked Nate, sitting with a raised eyebrow.

"What are those charges, Mr. Neko?" asked Dominic, raising an eyebrow.

Nate Neko looked at Dominic before pulling out the charge papers. "Assault with a deadly weapon. Attacking a police officer. Attempted murder. And two counts of murder with a hate crime charge added to both."

"My son isn't a killer! This is an outrage!" shouted Mr. Forrest, putting his hoof on his son's shoulder while slamming it on the table. "I can understand my son getting into trouble thanks to _that_ hooligan!" He glared at Ellis who gave him the finger. "But my son has never done anything wrong! Now you're telling me he's being charged with murder?! Haven't you all ruined our lives enough?!"

"Eric, that's enough," replied Dominic, glaring at the man.

"I won't let them hurt my son like they did my daughter, Dominic! They failed my family once and I will not go through that tragedy again!"

"Sir, you need to calm down! Please!" shouted Judy, itching for her tranquilizer gun if need be.

"And you! And can you go against your own kind like this!" cried out Mr. Forrest to Judy.

"Dear, please!" shouted his wife, getting his attention. "Bronn's stressed enough as it is! _Please, just calm down for his sake!_ "

He was about to open his mouth, when he stared at his son, who was whimpering and shivering; doing his best to shrink in a world of danger. Closing his eyes, Mr. Forrest took a deep breath and slowly sat down. "I apologize."

"Thank you," replied Dominic as he turned to the DA and officers. "You have no proof that my clients did these things."

"We have a witness that puts your clients' whereabouts on the assault on Josh Plains the night he was assaulted. They're also part of the same organization, the Public Pray Protection, whose jackets the attackers were wearing," pointed out Nate.

"Your witness is an elderly lion who looked out of her window in the dark of the night. Not to mention hundreds of bunnies and deer are part of the club," replied Dominic.

"Officer Hopps and Wilde her can confirm that your clients not only assaulted them while resisting arrest, but one of them also threw a knife that nearly killed Officer Hopps. We can assume these are also the knives used to kill their third victim," replied Nate as Nick lay down the photos of the crime scene. Finnick's throat slashed out as well as the dozens of other wounds he suffered while spray painted that horrible slur.

Mrs. Forrest turned away and made her son turn too. Mr. Bush just picked his nose and grumbled to himself. "That's messed up."

"It's your kid who did this," replied Nick, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, my son might be an idiot and a brat, but he's no murder," replied Mr. Bush, shaking his head. "Doesn't even have the balls."

"Shut up, old man!" shouted Ellis as he glared at his father. "Like a drunk asshole like you is any better."

"Why you little-"

"Hey!" cried out Chief Bogo, glaring so hard the two rabbits straighten up. "Focus."

"Yes, sir," replied the two rabbits.

"You have no evidence that my clients are linked to these crimes," replied Dominic, straighten his tie. "Furthermore, where are these knives you talked about? In police custody?"

"We're still searching the junk yard," replied Chief Bogo, folding his arms. "But I trust Officer Hopps' testimony."

"Do you trust her partner?" asked Dominic, making Nick growl.

"I do," replied Chief Bogo, narrowing his eyes. "I trust every one of my officers to be able to do their job. And I know for a fact that neither of them is lying about what happened."

"You still need the knives," replied Dominic, snorting. "Not that there will be I bet. It seems more like the police are trying to cater to predator politics by picking on prey children to make up for their incompetence in failing to stop a murderer."

Nick slammed his paws on the table and growled. "The only thing that is incompetent is you and your blind prejudice, Dominic." He turned to the two kids. "Now listen you brats. You are in a lot of trouble. You've not only killed two innocent people, and assaulted a third, but one of fellow _prey_ is dead because of those you were friends with. A prey who also happened to have been a cop. If you think you're going to get away with this without any repercussions, you are wrong."

"Screw you, fox," replied Ellis, sneering. "Your kind is better off being skinned alive and used to make clothing."

"Sure, dig your hole deeper, son," replied Mr. Bush, snorting.

"You still need to prove it," responded Dominic. "You have no evidence. No motive-"

"The motive is that your clients suffered at the paws of predators and lost family members. They did this to get back at them in some misguided attempt at the ones who wronged them," answered Judy, glaring. "While that's sympathetic in some cases, it doesn't excuse what they did."

"Yet, without anything solid you don't have a case," replied Dominic, getting up. "It's clear that you are wasting everyone's time with this."

"A cop is dead, your clients assaulted my officers, and they know more about the animals who killed that said cop," replied Chief Bogo, walking up and glaring down at Dominic who, to his credit, didn't flinch. "They aren't going anywhere."

"… there is one thing that we _**do**_ have," replied Judy, smirking as the thought came to her. Everyone looked at her. "We found fur of a White-Tailed Deer in the last crime scene." Upon saying this, Judy noticed Bronn turn even almost pale. "If your son is innocent, then let us get a DNA sample from him." He glared at the whimpering Bronn. "After all, if he's as innocent as you claim, then it shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Nobody is touching my baby," replied Mrs. Forrest.

"Agreed, if you wish to get that sample, you better get a court order. Otherwise, I think we're done here," replied Dominic as he stood up. "Now may I have a few minutes with my clients in private."

* * *

"Have we found the knives yet?" asked Nick as he and the others got a strong cup of coffee in the break room.

"Not yet, but I got every CSI looking. We'll find them," replied Chief Bogo, sipping his joe.

"Even so, we don't have solid evidence that they are the ones behind the killings," replied Nate, sighing as he rubbed his temple. "If the knives match the ones found at the last crime scene, then we have a better shot. However, the best we got a solid hold on them for now is resisting arrest and assaulting an officer, but even then, it's just their world against ours. Longest we can hold them is until they are put up for bail."

"There is one positive thing in all this," replied Judy, throwing away her cup. "We confirmed that a White-Tailed Deer was one of the five behind this gang we have one currently in custody. If we can just get a DNA sample, we can prove its him and get him to maybe confess."

"I can get a court order, but its going to take at least a few days," sighed Nate. "We need to look more into the boys and their friends. These five had to have met somehow, and we need to establish where and when."

"Me and Nick can head to their school and check out the PPP club there," replied Judy.

"Good, I better get some sleep. I need to figure out how to write my statement to get that warrant," replied Nate as he tried to leave but was halted when Dominic Stripes appeared around the corner. "What now, Stripes?"

"I just want to let you know that I'll be submitting a dismissal for these charges first thing in the morning," replied Dominic, fixing his classes.

"Under what statement?" asked Nick in disbelief.

"The statement that this entire case is bias by the head officers who have been investigating this crime," replied Dominic, who was getting glares from Judy and Nick. "Officer Nick showed his fangs and threatened my client during his arrest, mostly caused by the fact that he is blinded by his anger over the death of his friend, Finnick. Therefor he has too much of an emotional attachment to this case, and most likely has had his judgement impaired."

"Now hold on a minute," replied Nick, growling as he marched up to Dominic. "I did lose my best friend in the whole world, yeah. Damn right I'm emotional, but don't you dare accuse me of being bias in this when I've been put in just as much effort to capturing predators before. The only one who is making this a race case is you."

"You also seem to have some type of grudge against me, Mr. Wilde. It's clear by how you reacted when we met, and right now, that you seem to hate me. Maybe your accusations on the PPP, and its members, are just your way of trying to hurt me," replied Dominic Stripes, glaring back.

"… you really don't remember me, do you?" asked Nick, taking a deep breath which earned the raised eyebrow of everyone but Judy. "Yeah, I do have a grudge against you, but this was long before we even met again. And only recently, well into the case, have I realized who you are."

"And what am I? I've never met you before in my life," replied Dominic.

"I'll give you a little hint. A little fox innocently wants to join the Junior Ranger Scouts, but the ones who he thought were going to be his new best friends beat him up and tie a muzzle around his face. All while saying that they would never let a fox join them. Sound familiar?"

Dominic's eyes widened as he stared at Nick. "You? You were…"

"Yeah, me."

"… that was just a prank," replied Dominic, scoffing. "Your holding a grudge over a stupid prank."

" _A PRANK?!"_ shouted Nick so loud that even the office went silent. "You have any idea what you did to me?! Do you have idea what its like to feel like the world is closing in around you?! Unable to breath?! To feel caged, like your weak and useless?! You broke me in a way that I didn't ever recover for a long time! I…" Nick took a deep breath as Judy walked over to his side and held his arm. "I hate you. I hate you, and everyone of those who did that to me. I promise you, right here, and right now, that if you had anything to do with this I will bring you down so hard that you'll pass hell itself."

Dominic just stared at Nick for a bit before scoffing and leaving without a word. Nate, watching this, rubbed his head and growled. "Nice going, Officer Nick."

"What? What did I do?" asked Nick.

"You just gave Dominic what he needed to make it look like this entire case is a giant target on him in general," replied Nate, shaking his head. "You just gave him ammo for his dismissal."

"…I…" Nick was stunned but only realize that he screwed up and growled. "I'm sorry."

"You want to make this right, get me something solid to go by," replied Nate as he left the room, shaking his head.

Nick began to clutch his paw, but there was already someone stopping him by holding onto it. With a silent thank you, he squeezed Judy's paw as hard as he could for support.


	12. Chapter 12

_**AN: So, we have returned to the next chapter of Savage. This one is a long one as there are a lot of things to get out for this one as the mystery of the Predator Hunters continues. Can Nick and Judy nail the two they've captured down for their crimes as well as find out who the other three are? We'll have to find out.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't Own Zootopia**_

* * *

Having been charged, both Bronn and Ellis had been sent to a juvenile detention center until their hearing which gave the police some time to build up their case. While they still didn't have the murder weapon, they had been given access to the kid's computers, phones, and rooms for their investigation thanks to a warrant. Despite Mr. Forrest's objections, he had not choice but to comply or be arrested for impending an investigation. Mr. Bush didn't care as long as they didn't break anything. The first thing the computer crime labs checked out was their social media accounts and messaging systems. All the contacts were checked out, and took days to interview friends, family and associates, both from online and outside of it. Many couldn't believe that either of the two could do such a thing as murder and believed them to be innocent. To them, Bronn was too nice of a kid to do something like that and Ellis, while a troublemaker with family problems, didn't seem like to the type to kill either. After so many interviews, it became clear that none of their contacts both on the computer or phone were the remaining three perps or knew anything about them. The computer labs theorized that it could be they didn't communicate online, or their contacts deleted themselves from their captured member's social pages. However, they did find messages from a _MuzYa341,_ _who seemed to be giving orders on where to meet or what plans for "attacks" which meant this was their leader of the group._ Their attempts to trace the user name was proved futile as they all came from burner phones and anonymous emails.

Chief Bogo had the name of their alpha on top of a giant question mark icon that was connected by four strings to five lower pictures. Two of which were also questions marks while two featured the photos of their current suspects. In his officer were Nick and Judy, a male hyena in a lab coat and glasses, and a female wolf in uniform. Sitting in his office, Chief Bogo asked, "Alright, so we have a name for our leader. Are we sure nothing else in the computers or phones has this guy as a contact?"

"We checked three times, Chief," responded the female wolf with a sigh. "Furbook, Tweeter, Snapblab, and all the other contacts cleared out. Besides the burner phones and anonymous emails, it looks like he messaged both boys but they never messaged back. My guess is one of two things. One, these guys met on a website chat site, but those keep they client's id's confident, so we'll need to get a warrant for each chat site they went to visit. Second, they met in public to avoid an online trail."

"What about ballistics we recovered from… Officer Pond's body?" Bogo asked to the hyena.

"Well, the bullets are 9mm, but they seem to be custom made," reported the hyena as he looked at his report. "We don't know if the bullets came from in the city or outside of it, but we're running a check right now. Hopefully, we'll know more later today or tomorrow. We can say that the gun is strong enough to pierce Pond's tough elephant skin in combination with the bullet's custom design which seemed to special made to deal hard damage. I'd say it's a Glock or P229 type. Maybe armed forces geared."

Chief Bogo rubbed his head. "And we still haven't found those knives or heard either of our suspects talk. Any ideas?"

"Sir, if I may make a suggestion?" asked Judy as she raised her paw. When she saw her boss nod, she looked at the documents in her head. "According to what we've learned from their computers, both Bronn and Ellis went to the PPP's Youth Center in Palm View. One of the special programs is a group session for children who lost family members to predators." She raised her head and looked at her chief in the eyes. "Based on the fact that both our suspects lost loved ones because of criminals, and the theme of revenge that seems to be based on the killings, my gut is telling me all five of these kids met at that session. With your permission, I'd like Nick and I to check the place out and see if we can learn from anything there."

"Permission granted. Head there as soon as you can," replied Chief Bogo as he looked to the rest. "Dismissed. I need to be alone."

The four saluted and exited his office. Taking a deep breath, Chief Bogo took out a pen and pad as he faced the one part of his job he hated more then anything: preparing a speech. Specifically, a farewell speech to a fallen comrade in arms. He closed his eyes, remembering how Officer Pond first came into Precinct One all tough and cocky, ready to take on the world. That lessened as time went on, but she never fully grew out of it. Always not afraid to speak her mind, threaten someone who pissed her off, or laugh out a dirty joke once and awhile. Maybe it was why Jordon was such a good partner, since he always kept his cool even in the worst situations.

He smiled upon remembering the New Years' Eve party three years back when she got so drunk she thought she was the Queen of Prance and hit on poor Officer Spots. One thing led to another and soon they were dancing the samba around the room, taking whisky shots, and making out in the closet. According to rumors, they slept together in a love hotel in downtown Tundratown, but due to Pond's size poor Spots had that limp on his leg for three months. When asked about her behavior, Pond only said to her, "Hey, at least I didn't set something on fire this time."

Truth be told, that was an improvement compared to the year before that one. Now New Years, and every other day, would be duller without her around. Chief Bogo had been a cop for over thirty-five years now, a good sixteen of them being chief. It never got easier when he lost a cop under his leadership. Never had… and never would.

With a heavy sigh, he rose his pen and began to think of some good opening words.

* * *

The trip to the center went on with silence between the two. Nick was growing worried about this as Judy had been talking less and less since Officer Pond had died. He looked over at the bunny his heart belonged to in the passenger seat before making a decision. He stopped the police car on the side of the street and parked it.

"Nick, we're not at the right place," pointed out Judy.

"I know, but I wanna talk, Carrots" replied Nick as he turned to Judy. "Look, something is bothering you, and I need to know you're okay."

"I…" Judy bit her lip before sighing. "I… just… Pond was…"

Placing a paw on her shoulders, Nick answered, "I know. She was a good cop. I get you had grown close to her since we started this case, but Judy… you know there was nothing you could have done."

"Could I?" asked Judy, closing her eyes. "I can still see her bleeding in front of me, Nick. I heard her final words. I saw the light leave her eyes. I… I just wish… if I could have…"

"Done what?" asked Nick, leaning forward. "Carrots, I've wondered such things myself, but I've learned that all that does is lead you in endless directions that go nowhere. I've seen guys waste themselves over a single mistake that they became so obsessed over it ruined their lives." He kissed her gently on the head. "I don't want to see that happen to you. I love you too much to let that happen"

"Nick," whispered Judy as she gave a soft smile and kissed him on the nose, "thank you." She then paused. "Did you just say you love me?"

Blushing, the fox rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, I guess?"

"Awww, you sounded so cute when you said it too," teased Judy with a small laugh that made the cheeks on Nick's face go redder. "Wish I had my recording pen when I heard that."

"I swear, you and that things are an evil duo," replied Nick as he rolled his eyes as he started the police car again.

* * *

The PPP's Youth Center was your average looking building that could have passed for a mini-school if you passed by. Entering the reception desk, they saw a teenage zebra with a short mane wearing a gym jersey and shorts gathering papers before he noticed them. "Can I help you, officers?"

"Hi, we're Officers Hopps and Wilde. We're wonder if we could maybe see one of your group sessions. We need to talk to a few folks in it," replied Judy, showing the badge.

"Is everything okay?" asked the zebra.

"Yes, we just need to ask some questions about two of your members. It's the one for children who lost loved ones to predators. Can you lead us to them, Mr…"

"I'm Zachary," replied the teenager before motioning them to follow him. "Ms. Simian is almost done with the session. I was about to head there myself and get the kids ready for basketball. Follow me."

The two followed him through the halls, noticing the photos of various prey children and adults in activities such as sports, cook outs, camping, and other activities. Some of them featured Dominic Stripes with a smile that neither of the two officers had seen in their current judicial rival. Like he was happy and enjoying himself. There were banners and fliers for events or clubs, rooms for computers, class rooms, and a big gym which impressed both officers as they walked past it. All for helping hurt children.

"Dominic Stripes paid for all of this?" asked Nick, finding himself a bit impressed despite how much he loathed the idea of complimenting the one who made his kithood a living hell.

"No, Dad doesn't pay for everything," answered Zackary, his response surprising the two. "Most of it comes from donors or charity events."

"Wait, Dominic is your father?" asked Officer Judy. "Surely, he would have mention us."

"Dad never talks about his work at home," snorted Zackary as continued to lead them. "Quite frankly, I'd wish he did. At least it would be nice to talk to him more often than occasionally a few times a week."

"Your father doesn't come home much?" asked Nick, raising an eyebrow.

Dominic paused in his step before continuing. "No, not as often as I'd like. Don't get me wrong, I love him, and I love what he does, but sometimes I wish he'd take a break for it. At least for his own sake."

They stopped upon noticing they weren't alone in the hall. There was another Zebra teenager, although this one was older then Zachary, wearing a red hooded outfit and slacks a buzzcut for a mane. He was by a glass case filled with photos of children and flowers that reminded them of a shine in some ways, but the vibes they were getting upon seeing it were not happy ones. If anything, they felt sadder, especially seeing the angel carvings on the corners of the wood. Placing some flowers near a photo of a male racoon, the other zebra closed his eyes in prayer before closing the casing and noticing the group.

"Hey, Zach," replied the other zebra before turning to the officers. "Something happen?"

"Just these two officers needing to speak to Ms. Simian," replied Zachary before turning to the officers. "This is Kaiden. He's head of the sharpshooting club here. Third best shooter of his age in companions."

"Would have been second if the sun wasn't in my eyes last tournament," snorted Kaiden.

"So, you keep reminding us all," replied Zachary, rolling his eyes.

Nick looked at the glass case and asked, "What's this? A memorial?"

Seeing their curiosity, Kaiden gave it a sad look and answered. "It's for all the club members who took their own lives because of bullying or lost it to violence. Not just predator violence though, even prey on prey violence. We look at them as a remembrance to always look out for each other… and know that we mourn together as well."

"You lost someone I take it?" asked Judy, looking at the raccoon boy's photo where the fresh flowers were placed. Kaiden looked at for a second before nodding.

"Um, I have to go," replied Kaiden as he headed in the other direction. "Nice meeting you."

They watched him hurry away before Zachary answered, "One of his best friends took his own life a few months ago because he was bullied by a gang of wolves. He's still shaken up by it." Zachary turned to the memorial and looked at it with pity. "He was part of the session too but quit two months ago. He's gotten a little better, but he still comes here with fresh flowers every week."

Neither of the two officers said anything before they continued down the hall. Silence being among them as they walked

Eventually, they stopped in front of a room where Zachary turned to Nick and asked, "Do you mind waiting in here? Some of the kids might not take well seeing a predator since… well, some of their experiences with foxes aren't that good."

Nick didn't answer at first, but eventually nodded and stepped back. Zackary opened the door and let Judy in.

* * *

Judy didn't know how many she was expecting to find in the meeting, but the number was bigger than she thought. There had to be at least sixteen children, all prey types, in a circle of chairs while an adult monkey wearing a light blue dress and glasses was in the front center who had to be Ms. Simian. They were all focused on a hedgehog who held her paws together and was swinging her tiny feet over the chair. "… and I know he's not trying to replace my dad, but I can't help but wish that he wasn't around." She closed her eyes as a tear dripped down her whiskers. "Every day I wish Mom never met him at my dad's funeral. It likes he's taking his place and we're losing my Dad's memory before that drunk lion killed him in that accident." She accepted a tissue from a nearby otter and wiped her face before continuing. "I get that he's nice and he's not a bad guy, but how can I look at him and think of him as a father when we're not even the same race? He's a wolverine, and I'm a hedgehog. I know my mother loves him, and my older brother too, but I want my real daddy back. Is that wrong?"

"No, it's not Melody," replied the primate as she gave her a warm smile. "You miss your father very much, and that's not wrong. Recovery takes time, but have you ever thought of maybe telling about what you feel with your mother and step-father?"

"I… I'm just afraid they'll get angry," replied Melody, looking ready to curl up into a ball. "I mean, wolverines have a bad temper, right?"

"Does he have a bad temper? Have you ever seen him get mean?" asked Ms. Simian

"Only when the news is on," replied Melody.

"Then I think you'll be okay, sweetie. If you want, I'll even be there with you if you want," replied Ms. Simian before noticing Zachary and Judy. "Well, kids I think its time for you all to go play some basketball. Enjoy."

The little ones noticed Zach and happily followed him through another door while he nodded his goodbyes to Judy. Once the kids were clear, Judy got Nick and the two of them watched as Ms. Simian drank some water from a bottle before putting her glasses away as she faced the two with a warm smile. "I was wondering when I would see you two."

"Were you expecting us?" asked Judy.

"Mr. Stripes, Zach's father, did warn us all you might come poking around here asking questions. He was worried about it, but I'm not," replied Ms. Simian as she motioned the two to sit down, which they did. Sitting herself down, she drank a bit more from her water bottle before clearing her throat. "However, I see no harm in talking to you. I know you're here to talk about Bronn and Ellis, and I can tell you now neither of those kids had it in them to murder somebody. Either they are innocent in all this, or they're being used."

"You sound pretty sure about that," replied Nick, crossing his arms as he relaxed a bit in his chair.

"I've been a child psychologist for over twenty-four years," stated Ms. Simian with a smirk. "I've seen every type of problem child you can imagine and I can tell you now that Bronn and Ellis were not either of them. At least not in the type to go around killing folks."

"What can you tell us about them?" asked Judy, leaning forward. "Maybe if you can tell us more about what they were like regarding their loss, we can at least understand why they would be part of something like this."

Ms. Simian sighed as she shook her head. "They're good kids. Grew up together since pre-school. They had each other when each of them lost someone important. For Bronn, he loved his sister. He told me she used to pick him up from soccer practice and walk him home while getting ice cream. They used to see who had the funniest ice cream face when they were all done. When he got his appendix removed, the first thing he asked for was his sister and she was with him all the way for his recover. Losing her, seeing her abused and raped by that monster, was heartbreaking for him." She shook her head. "He was very nervous when he came here. Always looking so sad and lonely; fragile like glass. Only Ellis really could get him to smile once and while, but despite what he went through he was gentle. Never used a loud tone, or even gotten angry once. Maybe that's why he always went ahead with Ellis's antics. The boy couldn't say no."

"Ellis was the more rebellious one?" asked Judy.

"I assume you met his father?" questioned Ms. Simian with narrow eyes. The snarls on both their faces was her answer. "His father was always a bum even before his mother left him and married that heartless murdering crocodile. I suspect his father is the reason why she left in the first place. Ellis apparently always had a mischievous side to him, but his mother's death and his father's behavior didn't help improve that. If anything, it made him more of a hoodlum, always doing vandalization, rude remarks, and skipping school on occasion. There is a lot of anger inside of him, but even with that he wasn't much of a fighter. He just wanted someone or something to fix his life, but only responded in the only way he knew."

"Didn't social services try anything?" asked Judy, but Nick snorted.

"Please, those hacks do nothing unless the children are abused physically or sexually," commented Nick, rolling his eyes. "Besides, half the homes they put the kids in are just as bad or worse then the ones they took them from."

"While I disagree with you on that for the most part, officer," said Ms. Simian with a harsh glare before turning to Judy, "I'm afraid he's right. Mr. Bush might have been a neglectful and loud mouth of a parent, but he never laid a harm on Ellis. They advised family counseling, but the two ignored any attempts to attend."

"But would he be capable of murder? You said it yourself, he had a lot of anger building inside, he could have done something to vent it," proposed Judy, remembering the rude comments and threats he gave while held in the interrogation room. If there was a swear jar, it would have been enough to pay half of her siblings' college tuition.

"Perhaps," Ms. Simian admitted as she looked at the ground with sad eyes, "but what bothers me is that, if he did do it, why did he do it with Bronn?" He looked at the two with serious eyes. "Bronn was the only friend Ellis had. Even when they attended this session, they didn't hang out with anybody other than themselves, it was always them. Ellis did everything for Bronn and loved him like a brother. Ellis would never lead Bronn into something that could see him seriously hurt or in trouble. I can't imagine him dragging Bronn into this unless he was very convinced." She rubbed her chin before asking, "The news report said there were five members, right?"

"Yeah," replied Judy, nodding her head. "We don't believe either Bronn or Ellis are the leaders, but we think all five of them met here or at least some other PPP themed event or place."

"Not every child who loses somebody to predators come here, and Ellis and Bronn only had each other. They didn't even spend time playing with the other children, just sat in the computer room together," sighed Ms. Simian as she looked at the two. "Look, I know these kids might seem like monsters. Especially after what happened to your fellow officer, but if I were you I would focus on the one who made them become this way."

"Do you think it might be somebody also in the PPP?" asked Judy.

The primate shrugged. "Anything is possible."

* * *

After talking a bit more with Ms. Simian, Judy and Nick decided to head back to the station to give their findings to the chief. She gave them her card incase they needed anything else from her, as well as offering to talk to Bronn and Ellis to get them to open more. Judy and Nick didn't say much as they drove back to the station, but about halfway their Nick asked, "So do you believe her?"

"About Bronn and Ellis?" asked Judy, focusing on the road. She gave it some though before nodding. "Yeah, I do."

"You feel sorry for them?" asked Nick, grumbling.

"… is it wrong that a part of me does?" asked Judy, sighing. They had suffered so much as children and wished that they didn't fall into this gang of predator haters that had evolved from it. "Don't get me wrong, Nick. I want to see them get punished, but I can't help but feel they've been misled or used or something. They don't sound… evil."

"No, but they still committed evil," whispered Nick, clenching his paw into a fist. "They assaulted Josh. They killed that wolf cub, Fennick and Pond."

Judy couldn't anything about that. Three lives had been lost and one had been damaged in a way that would scar him for a long time, if not for life. "We need to find the alpha. We get him, and we can close the case. Maybe we can get Bronn and Ellis to talk. Get them to see what they did was wrong and make up for it by telling us who the other members are."

"Unless Dominic is already protecting them too." Nick shook his head and growled in a way that made Judy' spine shiver. "That bastard is tied into this and I know it. And no, I'm not saying it because of what he did or the fact he's a blindside predator hating bastard who thinks prey can do no wrong. I'm saying it because my gut is telling me he's connected somehow."

Seeing the station up close, Judy concentrated on parking first while thinking of what Nick said. Truth be told, there was something about Dominic Stripes that didn't feel well with her as well. Besides the obvious bias, everything was connected to his organization. The suspects were part of it, the motives were tied to its founding, and even its resources had to have been used by the suspects. "You can't believe that he's behind everything though," said Judy as she parked the car and opened the door. "It's not like he's building a Catler Youth Squad."

"I'm not saying it's that extreme, Judy," replied Nick, rolling his eyes. "But how are we going to make Zootopia represent the unity of all animals if we let these things continue like this? Can't we just get them to shut up and leave their hatred out of our lives?"

"It's still their right, Nick. You might see it as hatred, but not everyone does. Some of those kids really look up to the PPP, even if not all of its intentions might be great," replied Judy, opening the door. "I know you think it might be better to silence them, but if we do that we might as well throw the first amendment out of the window. It protects all speech, even the hateful ones. However, we can counter the hate speech with our own in a better manner. You remember all those citizens protesting against the hatred for predators after my… interview." Judy rubbed the back of her neck, remembering one of the worst mistakes in her life. There were riots, panic, and tweeter wars that were erupting into chaos for the city. But there were still those who wanted to solve things peacefully, those from differences that would normally hate each other, came together because they believed in what Zootopia stood for. "There were predators and prey working together to protest the new anti-predator changes. Everyone of different religions, politics, nationalities, they all stood together and protested it. That's what defeats hate speech, Nick. Not forcing it or silencing it, but out speaking it with love and respect. By being better than them through principles. Be it for predators, prey, or even something as fur color, political vies, sexuality, or religion. It's respect for everyone's differences, even if you disagree with them, that prevents animals like Dominic from spreading their filth."

"Okay, okay, I get it," said Nick with a smirk. "I forgot how much of a patriot you are to Zootopia's ideals."

"Well, those who open their heart to patriotism have no room for hatred in them," replied Judy with a smile as she and Nick made their way to Chief Bogo's office.

Much to their surprise they saw Nate Neko there with Chief Bogo. "Hey there you two," he greeted them as he gave them a smirk. "How's the investigation."

"Nothing solid," replied Nick. "How was the hearing? That was today right?"

"Yeah, thankfully the case didn't get thrown out, but they were given no bail and returned to the custody of their parents until court starts," replied Nate before nodding towards the chief. "But the chief has something that will make our day better."

"Ballistics came through. They found the store that made and sold the bullets that were fired from the gun that killed Officer Pond," replied Chief Bogo as he handed Judy a file. "It's a place called Gunner's Corner. In the Rainforest District on the corner of Moss and Fog. Check it out and see if the owner can give you the one who he sold the gun too."

"Might be parent of the kid who shot Pond," Nick though out loud with a nod. "Nice idea, Chief. Let's go, Carrots."

Judy nodded before she paused and said, "Actually, Nick, I'll meet you at the car. I want to talk to the chief for a second."

Nick nodded and soon left, along with Nate who said he need to get back to the office. When it was just the two of them, Chief Bogo put his hooves on his desk and asked, "Something you wanna talk about in private, Hopps?"

"It's about Pond's family, sir," replied Judy, looking down in sorrow. "I was… wondering if I could give my sympathies personally. I didn't know her for long… but since I was there for her when she died… I thought…"

Bogo reached over and put a hoof on Judy's shoulder. "I understand. I'll have Clawhauser give you the address after your shift ends. Now head out and follow up on this lead, officer."

"Yes, sir!" shouted Judy as she rushed out.

* * *

Gunner's Corner was exactly what the name said, a gun shop on a corner. Not the most inventive name, but Zootopia had a strict gun control system so many gun sellers didn't sell much in the city so having a unique name wasn't much of a big worry. There was still a big black market though, mostly for street gangs and criminals that Judy and Nick had to arrest way too many times.

Parking just around the corner, Judy and Nick walked over to the store and looked inside. All the merchandise from pistols to assault rifles were caged, yet viewable, with boxes of ammo and gun safety books around for viewing. There was even stuff from the National Firearms Association, which made Judy take a note of what to get for her father on his next birthday.

"Hello? Anybody here? ZPD officers. Looking for a bazooka or two," teased Nick with a smirk.

"One sec! And we don't sell explosives! We're not Tunxas!" replied a voice coming from a set of basement stairs. When the speaker came up he stared at the two in shock just as they when they saw him. "You two?"

"Kaiden?"


	13. Chapter 13

_**AN: I'm surprise people forgot who Kaiden was considering you just met him in the previous chapter. If you still can't remember, just re-read the previous chapter. I don't really have much to say other then we're past the halfway point in the story now. Enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't Own Zootopia**_

* * *

There was a soft silence between the officers and the confused zebra teenager who they only met not to long ago. "Um, hi again?" greeted Kaiden as he rubbed the back of his neck. "What are you officers doing here?"

"We're here to check something out. You work here?" asked Judy, tilting her head.

"I live here. My Dad and I live upstairs. He owns the store and I help out a bit after school," answered Kaiden as he walked over to the basement door. "I'll get him."

While he yelled for his dad to come up, Nick whispered to Judy, "Third best sharpshooter in his age group? Member of the PPP? Access to guns? Lost a friend to predator bullying? Tell me we're not this lucky?"

"We don't know anything yet, Nick," replied Judy, bumping his side. "Let's not assume."

A new zebra, much older and grizzled in his face, came up and smiled at the two while Kaiden stayed behind him. "Howdy, I'm Keith Blackstripes. What can we do for Zootopia's finest?"

"Sir, we're investigating a murder case," answered Judy as she showed them a copied file of the bullet that killed Officer Pond. "We have reason to believe the that bullets used in the gun to kill our victim were custom designed in this store. We also have reason to believe the gun came from here too."

"May I see that?" asked Mr. Blackstripes as he took the folder. Opening it up, he looked at the details with narrow eyes before nodding his head. "Yes, I remember this order. A bounty hunter requested six boxes of these for his handgun. Poor guy got killed by his target before he could pick them up, so I just kept them around as a special deal just in case." He turned to his son. "Kaiden, can you get one of them?"

"Sure, Dad," replied Kaiden as he went to the back of the store. A few minutes later, he returned and showed the box to the officers. Opening it, they saw that it was indeed a cleaner and perfect version of the bullet. "If it was used in a murder case, it might have been the thieves who stole from us."

Nick and Judy's eyebrows lifted. "You were robbed?" asked the fox with a hint of disbelief. He had noticed the security cameras, alarm system, and no doubt they locked the place up. No armature group of thieves could do this without being lucky. _Meaning this was professional or an inside job…_

"Yeah, a few weeks ago. I took my boy out for a camping trip, but some punks managed to break in and rob us. A few pistols, rifles, and some ammo. None of the heavier stuff like the shotguns or semi-autos," replied Mr. Blackstripes.

"What kind of firepower do you have here?" asked Judy.

"Everything except for automatics, explosives, and sniper rifles," replied Mr. Blackstripes. "Funny thing is, our security was taken down even though I thought I put it up. The officers I talked to think they had a hacker. It's becoming more popular these days they said. They even blacked out my cameras."

"I see," said Judy as she quickly wrote everything down. "Well, thanks for your time. We're going to take this carriage of bullets and continue our investigation. If we need anything, we'll call you."

"No problem. Have a nice day," said Mr. Blackstripes as he turned around and whistled while his son stared at them for a few seconds longer before following him.

Once the two officers were outside, Judy turned to Nick and crossed her arms. "So, thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That Kaiden just become a prime suspect?" Nick said as he rolled his eyes. "Of course, we can't accuse him without evidence. Still, we can keep an officer on watch duty to see who he meets."

Just as they got into their car, Judy's phone rang, and she quickly answered it as Nick started the car. "Officer Hopps."

" _Judy, it's Clawhauser! Chief wanted me to give you guys an update on those bullets used to kill Officer Pond,"_ replied the voice on the other end. _"Turns out the same type of bullets were used in two other situations around two months ago. One was a multi-homicide and the other was a suicide. But get this. They both happened on the same day just five hours apart from each other with the murders happening first."_

"Wait, are you serious? Why wasn't this reported before?" asked Judy.

" _They happened in two different districts so the ZPD precincts didn't connect the dots. We got lucky because as Precinct One we have access to all the databases of the others. The murders happened in Tundra Town under Precinct Twelve's watch while the suicide happened in Downtown with Precinct Four. The Chief's already got the officers involved in both cases waiting for you to arrive in either location."_

"Okay, thanks Clawhauser," replied Judy. "We'll get to it. Keep us posted if anything new comes up."

Ending her call, she turned to Nick who raised an eyebrow. "The same type of bullets was used in previous crimes on the same day two months ago. One was a multiple murder case while the other was a suicide."

"That's not a coincidence," replied Nick, grinning. "I got a feeling we might have just gotten our next big break."

* * *

The officers, Chad and Blake, asked to meet a diner so they could have lunch. The two polar bears sat across the shivering fox and rabbit who were looking at their soup… their frozen pea soup. Nick, taking a spoon, lightly tapped it and barley got a crack. He glanced at Judy with a smirk as she tried to get her stuck tongue off the bread bowl they were given upon sitting down. _They do say Tundra Town food has an acquired taste to it._

"You guys going to eat? It's on the house," replied Officer Chad, ripping a whale burger apart with is might jaws while his partner sipped his sixth coke bottle. Some of its guts managed to hit the table which made Judy gag a bit.

"Thanks, but I'm an ice diet," replied Nick as he put his spoon down. "So, tells us about that homicide case?"

"Right, so me and Blake here were on our lunch break when we get a call about shots being fired in the back of an alley along St. Christmas Ave," started Chad, wiping his blood covered mouth with his paw. "We get there, ready for anything. We find these four wolves, all around their late teens, filled with holes in them. Shooter was wild and crazed because the shots were all over the place."

"Had to be more then one guy doing it. Or so we thought," replied Officer Blake as he motioned the snow leopard waitress for another coke and extra fries. "We thought it was some gang attack or something. The wolves themselves were just a bunch of delinquent punks. Biggest crimes they committed were possession and vandalizing the neighborhood. Typical hoodlum stuff."

"We thought they maybe messed with the wrong animals, so we tried hitting up the local gangs to see if they were involved. None of them said they had no beef with them and it wasn't any gang's territory," continued Chad.

"You didn't find the weapons that killed them?" asked Nick as the snow leopard arrive with Blake's order as well as a glass of hot water that she put in front of the fox. Nick used it to pour all over Judy's tongue which made her cry a bit, but it got her freed. "Thank you."

"Happens all the time," she replied before walking away.

"We did. Nothing turned up. Finding evidence is always harder in Tundra Town thanks to the weather. We barley managed to find the bullets," replied Blake, shrugging. "We kept on the case for awhile until we got the call saying it was connected to your cop's death and a suicide. You sure their connected?"

Clearing her throat, and waving her tongue, Judy answered hoarsely, "Considering who it is that killed themselves. We think so."

"So, who was it?"

* * *

"Thomas Woodchip. Age 17. Self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Instant death." The file landed in front of Judy and Nick as its owner, a female pig, sat down in her office chair. Her desk was littered with case files with two large fans, and three mini fans, blowing in her face. Not that it did much good since it looked like she had been sweating so much she was going to look like bacon in a minute. "You're lucky I keep myself organized or I never would have recalled that case with your strange bullet."

 _This is what she calls organized?_ Thought both Judy and Nick as they saw pizza boxes, Chinese takeout, old baseball tickets, beauty products, case files, paperwork, candy wrappers, and mini anime magical girl figurines everywhere on the desk.

"What can you tell us about it?" asked Judy as she instantly recognized the face of the teen. It was the same one Kaiden laid flowers to at the memorial.

"Not much to say. Kid was being bullied. Parents are always away on business. Decides to end it all with suicide note. Sad how that's becoming more popular among the youth these days. I blame our hedonist culture and lack of good family structure," replied the pig officer as she typed into her computer.

"Did you find the gun?" asked Nick.

"Nope. Searched high and low. Never found it. We knew it was suicide due to the way the bullet entered the brain. Plus, we found a bunch of painkillers in his stomach during the autopsy. Guess he was afraid of screwing up and bleeding to death," she suggested before wiping her nose with a used napkin.

"I don't suppose one of his bullies was a set of wolves?" asked Judy.

The officer paused in her typing and turned to them with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, how did you know?"

* * *

It didn't take long for Judy and Nick to request for Kaiden and his father to be brought back to HQ for interrogation. When Kaiden's father asked why they were here Judy laid down everything for them to hear while Nick watched their reactions. The murders, the suicide of Thomas Woodchip, and the fact that both incidents used the same bullets that killed Officer Pond. All done by the same type of bullets, and mostly likely the same type of gun. Neither of the two spoke as they stared at the files and photos in front of them. Nick paid special attention to Kaiden who looked away upon seeing Thomas' photo and he looked ready to puke.

When it was all said and done, Mr. Blackstripes shook his head and wiped his face a bit in disbelief before glancing at his son. Kaiden didn't look at his father in the face. He just stared at his own feet in shame. Turning back to Judy, he asked, "What does any of this have to do with my son?"

"Look, Mr. Blackstripes, I think you know perfectly well what we're indicating here," answered Judy, staring at Kaiden. "We know for a fact that Kaiden and Thomas were friends. Best friends in fact."

"Yeah, they've been friends for a long time…" muttered Mr. Blackstripes, rubbing his mane. "God, hearing him kill himself…"

"With a bullet that happens to be the same custom design you made. The same that killed those four wolves who, according to what we know, bullied Thomas almost relentlessly," continued Judy.

"They weren't just bullying him!" shouted Kaiden, slamming his fist on the table and growling. "They were assaulting him! Stealing from him! We asked the police to do something and you guys did nothing! Not to mention his worthless parents were five thousand miles away doing jack shit while their son was lonely and miserable!"

"Kaiden!" shouted Mr. Blackstripes, as he gripped him by the arm and forced him to stare into his face. "Kaiden, you're my son and I love you, but I swear on your mother's grave that if you had something to do with this…"

Kaiden bit his lip and lowered his head. "It's all my fault…" He shook his head and wiped away tears that dripped down his cheeks. "I'm responsible… if I wasn't so stupid…"

Sitting down, Judy rested her paw on his hoof and whispered, "Kaiden. What happened?"

Taking a few deep breaths, he muttered, "I gave him the gun. And the bullets. I gave it to Thomas."

"You gave one of our guns to a minor? Kaiden… why? Haven't I told you these things are not toys!? Do you know how much trouble you'd be in?! Or the trouble I could be in? I could lose my license for this! I'd be out of a job!" shouted his father in disbelief.

"I know, Dad! But what was I supposed to do?! Thomas nearly went to the ER last time and he was afraid for his life! He asked me to just… to just loan him the gun!" He slowly fell into his father's chest who held him tight. "So… s-s-so I gave it to him… I taught him… how to use it… when I heard what happened… Oh god, it's all my f-f-f-fault!"

"Shhh. Shhh. It's okay," whispered Kaiden's father, patting his son on the back. "You didn't know… you didn't know…"

Judy and Nick looked at each other, their eyes already agreeing to what they were thinking. Kaiden, for all his faults, was telling the truth. "Kaiden," asked Nick, sighing. "What happened to gun?"

"I don't know…" replied Kaiden, shaking his head. "I was afraid they'd find it and trace it back to dad, but they didn't find it. Or the ammo either…"

"What kind of a gun was it?" asked Judy.

"A P225 X-Five," replied Kaiden, shaking his head. "I've been lying about it being there in the inventory paperwork."

"I know which one he's talking about. I'll get you the paperwork. Whatever you want. Just… please be easy on my son?" asked Mr. Blackstripes, holding his teary-eyed boy.

* * *

"Thoughts?" asked Chief Bogo as he watched the father and son talk to a lawyer who had arrived for them.

"I don't think he's involved with the Predator Hunters," replied Judy, crossing her arms and shaking his head. "He made a stupid mistake that got a lot of animals killed… but he's not one of them."

"He's still responsible for giving a gun to an unregistered minor which resulted in the deaths of six individuals, including Officer Pond," replied Nate Neko, shaking his head. "He'll most likely be made an example by the DA, but its out of my paws. They're gonna let someone else handle him."

"His alibi also checks out, at least for some of the attacks," replied Nick, reading the testimony that he had written. "His father gives notice that his son was with him during the time Marcus and Fennick were killed. However, he didn't have one for when Josh was attack or during the incident at the junkyard where Pond was shot."

"You think he might be lying about not being involved?" asked Judy, tilting her head.

"I don't know. He does feel regret over the death of his friend, but he didn't mention anything about the wolves. Plus, he could have stashed the gun after Thomas's death. There's also that robbery a few weeks ago. Maybe he had a hand in it for his friends to grab and arm themselves. It's easier to kill with a gun then it is with a knife or baseball bat."

"Well, hearing from how those wolves treated Thomas, I guess you can't blame him," Chief Bogo said, rubbing his chin. "But it is possible he could have stashed the gun. The apartment was unlocked, and we can check the cameras of the apartment to see if anybody entered there during or after the suicide. As for the insider robbery theory? A possibility."

"Maybe we can have Bronn and Ellis point Kaiden out as one of their group? Or maybe guilt Kaiden into confessing?" asked Nick.

"Well, let's face what we know," replied Chief Bogo. "We know what type the gun is and how much ammo they have left according to Mr. Blackstripes. This is, of course, ignoring the fact that they might be armed with other weapons. We know that Kaiden, Bronn, and Ellis were all part of the same therapy session dealing with lost ones from predators. And that Kaiden can't place his whereabouts during half of the attacks by the hunters."

"And one of the attackers was verified to be a zebra. So Kaiden could still be a suspect. Whose to say all five of them were together in every attack?" pointed out Judy.

"So, what's our next move?" asked Nate.

"We'll keep Kaiden here for now," replied Chief Bogo. "We'll start alerting all cops to be wary of that X-Five gun with its serial number and get the videos from the apartment to see who took the gun from Thomas after he killed himself. Meanwhile, I want-"

"Sir!" interrupted Clawhauser as he gasped for breath after bursting in. "Sorry… let me… catch my breath… quite a distance to get here…"

"… it's a three-minute walk," said Judy.

"Really? Felt like five." Clawhauser shook his head before quickly replying, "Forget that. I got calls from Officer's West and McHorn! Bronn and Ellis just left their homes and are heading out!"

This got everyone's attention as Chief Bogo quickly turned to Nick and Judy. "They must be going to meet the other gang members. Go!"

"Sir!" the two shouted as they rushed out.

"Clawhauser! Tell West and McHorn to keep their eyes on those kids or I'll put them on parking duty for a year!"

"Sir!"

* * *

Getting in the nearest car they could, the furry duo drove as fast as they could with their sirens blasting. West and McHorn kept in contact with them always, announcing any changes in direction. Keeping an eye on the road, Judy had Nick direct her where to go while he kept his eyes on their map. "Make a left," said Nick, which Judy obeyed as he then grabbed the radio. "McHorn, where is Ellis heading now?"

" _He just got on the D34 bus and is heading south on Dove. St. Still on him,"_ reported McHorn.

" _This is West. Bronn is getting on a train station on 19_ _th_ _Street. It's a stop for the R and F trains. I think I might lose him at this rate."_

"Clawhauser, is there a spot where the D34 bus and either the R or F train stop at?" asked Nick, praying his large buddy could find one.

" _Wait one moment… and yes! Bingo! Corner of Darwin Ave for the F train!"_ replied the cheetah with a laugh. _"I am good!"_

"Thanks, Clawhauser. Donuts on me tomorrow if we get them," replied Nick as he turned to Judy. "You ready to finally get these guys, Carrots?"

"I've been waiting since this case started," replied Judy pushing the gas even harder then before. "This ends today!"

* * *

Thirty minutes later, McHorn announced that Ellis got off the bus and he saw him join up with Bronn. It had gotten late at night by the time the two met and they were looking over their shoulders as they traveled down the street. Ten minutes later, Judy and Nick arrived on the scene. Chief Bogo gave strict orders not to arrest or approach them until back up arrived, so the three cops were forced to tail them on paw as the two teens continued to walk down the street.

Despite his size, McHorn was good at keeping himself concealed and silent while smaller animals like Judy and Nick had no problems at all either. The three continued to follow them from a distance until they made their way inside an abandoned supermarket that had been boarded up and with a demolition sign on it. Pushing some boards away, the two entered the building as Judy, Nick, and McHorn observed it from behind a corner.

"Looks like they went inside. Should we follow?" asked Nick.

"Orders were to stay put until reinforcements arrived," answered McHorn.

Nick grumbled. "I don't like this. Something feels off. That building could have a dozen escapes and we can't cover them all."

"Good point," replied Judy, narrowing her eyes. "Maybe we should send someone around just in case."

"I'll go," volunteered McHorn, nodding. "But don't go in unless something happens."

The three of them jumped as two loud gunshots echoed from the building and nearby birds scattered. "Does that count?" asked Nick as he drew his side arm.

The three rushed towards the abandoned supermarket as Judy called into her radio. "Shots fired! Shot fired! We're moving in!"

McHorn took lead as he bashed his way through the wooden planks with his brute strength. He checked the front isles before noticing some figures retreating into the back. "I got runners! Stay here and secure the store!" He shouted as he rushed after them.

Nick and Judy nodded to each other and took separate paths to check the area. Judy kept both her gun and ears up, ready for anything. Hearing something to her left, she turned and aimed only to sigh in relief when it just tuned out to be some fallen rubble from the ceiling.

"Carrots!" cried out Nick on the other end. "Call for medical!"

"Nick!" shouted Judy as she rushed over to him, spotting him kneeling down. "Are you hurt?! What happ-oh my god!"

She covered her mouth upon seeing what had been shot. Bronn's wide eyes were staring upward as his face bleed out from the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. Bits of bone, gushes of blood, and slobs of brain were leaking out from both sides of the head as it was clear the bullet went right through the skull at point blank range. Nearby, Ellis had been shot in the chest with his paw holding onto his wounded side as his eyes remain shut. There was a faint raise and fall of his chest as Nick did his best to keep pressure on the wound with his shirt, but it was clear that if he didn't get any medical help soon he would be a goner just like Bronn.

" _Judy!_ " shouted Nick, forcing her back into focusing on the task at hand.

"This is Officer Hopps, I need a bus for a wounded suspect. Shot in the chest, bleeding bad. One suspect is dead, shot in the head," reported Judy into her radio.

" _Roger, EMT's one minute away!"_

The sound of steps alerted the two as Judy raised her gun, but to her relief it was just a furious looking McHorn. That fury faded when he saw the wounded kids and rushed over with a grim frown. "What happened?"

"Found them like this," replied Nick, holding his blood-soaked shirt. "I thought they were both dead until I checked Ellis' pulse. What about the runners?"

"Got away," grumbled McHorn, just as sirens were heard outside. "Lost sight of them just as I rushed out."

Rushing inside, a pair of gazelle paramedics went to work as they relieved Nick of his burden and started sealing the wound while a stripped tiger and panda bear came in with a EMS stretcher for Ellis. The three watched as they took Ellis away while another stayed behind to look after Bronn's body. Other officers soon arrived and began to sweep and check the surrounding area, but the three that first arrived just continued to stare at Bronn's lifeless wide eyes.

"Why… why did they do this?" asked Judy, shaking her head as a tear dripped down her face. "They target predators not their own kind."

"… silence," replied Nick, shaking his head. "It was to silence them in case they talked."

"If they're willing to kill their own just to keep themselves from getting caught… how far are they willing to go?" asked McHorn.

Nobody answered. Just stood there as Bronn's body was soon placed in a body bag and take away.


	14. Chapter 14

_**AN: We're reaching the end game folks. Only Four to Five chapters are left. Things are going to get wild in the next few chapters and even more so then they have been for a while. I apologize for taking so long to get this going. Real life and all. Also, for those who are interested, this will be the last Zootopia fic that I do until Zootopia 2 comes out. I'm interested in expanding myself to other genres.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't Own Zootopia**_

* * *

"Aim! Fire!"

Twenty-one shots fired in the air as the taps began to play. Every officer in the area saluted as the large casket containing Officer Pond was lowered to her final resting place. Her family was crowded around the grave, sobbing and holding each other as a few threw some flowers onto the sinking box. Judy did her best to avoid looking at them, in fear of crying unconsolably as well. She did see Officer Jordon looking down with cold eyes and bags that extended to his whiskers. Rumor has it he was doing some serious drinking and the Chief all but ordered him to get it under control or he would pull him from active duty.

It wasn't Judy's first funeral nor was it her first Police Officer funeral. Yet, this one had struck her the most because not only had a friend of hers gotten killed, but it happened on her watch. A hundred scenarios went though her head that could have prevented this, but when the thud of the casket hitting the bottom echoed in her head they all faded away. There was nothing to be done about Officer Pond now. She was gone, and her killers were still out there.

Well, the remaining three that is.

The crowd began to walk away as Judy hesitated. She stared at Pond's family, wondering if she should say something despite only knowing Pond for a short time. Sighing, Judy walked away where she found Chief Bogo waiting for her by his car. "Hopps."

"Chief," Judy greeted with a nod. She turned to the grave site and shook her head. "This has gone too far."

"Agreed," Chief Bogo said, motioning to get inside. Judy took shotgun as he started the car and drove out of the cemetery. The two were silent until they were on the street back to the police station. Neither of them decided to attend the reception. Not when there were killers still loose.

"I'm glad that Nate Neko finally got the warrants for Bronn and Ellis' stuff," Judy spoke, breaking the silence. "Hopefully, we'll find something that will help us know the identities of the other three members of the Predator Hunters."

"I have the boys working overtime on this. They're complaining, but still working," Chief Bogo answered as he made a right. "Any news on Ellis's condition?"

"Still comatose," Judy answered with a sigh. Just thinking about that bunny in the Critical Ward, between life and death, made her heart weep. Even if he was a criminal, one who had killed and even almost killed her, he was still an angry and lost child who had been led the wrong way. "I wish he woke up and told us what happened."

"We should just be lucky he's alive," Chief Bogo said, sighing. "I'm tired of seeing dead kids."

Judy nodded her head in agreement, thinking about the latest victim in this tragedy. Bronn looked almost ready to confess to everything before he got shot in the head. It was a quick death, but that was no sympathy to the parents who all but fell apart when they came to see his body.

They had lost both their children in such a short time that Judy didn't even feel any anger when the father started screaming and yelling at them all in his grief. He accused the officers of failing his family and inadvertently getting his son killed. He blamed predators and called them all monsters and child killers. He even said Zootopia was a lie, and that he wished it would burn along with all the residence in the area. Nobody did anything but let him rant out of pity. Yet, Judy couldn't help but feel a part of him was right. Did they really fail Bronn and Ellis? Did Zootopia's vision matter anymore if there were those on both sides willing to destroy everything they built out of hate?

 _I really wish you were here, Nick_. Judy looked out the window and wondered if her partner/lover was going through the same feelings as she was.

* * *

It really wasn't much of a funeral. Just a simple coffin, some flowers, and all in a small church. Of course, Nick was the only one there, staring at the sealed box that held one of his best friends. He all but asked for it. He couldn't bear to see Finnick laying inside. There was no priest or anything of that sort due to Finnick always thought religion was a scam even if there was a god out there. Nor was there going to be a plot of land for him to be buried. Just a furnace to make him turn to ashes which he figured would be given to Winston.

No, it was just him and the memories of all the good times he and Finnick had. He slowly took a small platinum watch of his pocket. A gift that was left to him in Finnick's will. He smiled as he saw the crafted designs and scratch marks on it. The watch had been their first con together with Nick pretending to be having an asthma attack while Finnick secretly crept behind the fat hippos' pants and stole it. Of course, the hippo accidently farted when he knelt down and Finnick swore off ever eating tacos again when it went right into his face.

Chuckling, Nick got up from his pew and walked over to the casket, smiling. "We had good times. Huh, buddy?"

For a moment, he thought of Officer Pond's funeral which was going at the same time. Thankfully, everyone at the station understood and didn't make a big deal out of it. _I still find it hard to believe that I traded one family for another. Still, you were the only one I had in both worlds, Finnick._

The Whisper Dens were all having their own farewell to Finnick, but Nick was still denied from entering them. He was still a "Blue Boy". A cop. A race traitor. Yet Nick didn't give a damn. Finnick was the only true connection he had left to that life and with him gone there was nothing preventing him from abandoning it all together.

The opening of the doors nearby alerted him that he wasn't alone and wondered if it was Judy coming to check up on him. Instead, he saw Mr. and Mrs. Remen along with Kyu who all were dressed in black. "Uncle Nick!" Kyu shouted as he rushed over and hugged the smiling fox. "It's great to see you again."

"Good to see you too, kit," Nick replied as he messed with his fur a bit. He raised his head to see the smiling wolf couple. "Thanks for coming."

"We felt it was… right to pay our respects," Mr. Remen said, shaking Nick's paw. He looked around with a surprised expression. "Are we early or…"

"… Let's just say Finnick's other friends are… unable to show their faces around…" Nick answered as he backed away to let them see the casket. "You don't have to stay long. Just say whatever words you want."

The three nodded as they walked over to the casket. Nick decided to get some fresh air as he made his way out the door. Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a bit, but when he reopened them, he saw a flasket of whiskey in front of him from a familiar furred arm.

"Want some?" Winston asked, his cane resting beside him. Nick paused for a moment, wondering how he got here, but knew better then to ask. He took a few sips before handing it back to Winston who drank a deep gulp.

"I'm surprised you came. I thought you tried avoid coming into the public view as much s possible?" Nick asked, leaning against the church's door.

"A father should at least have a moment to say goodbye to his son in private before accepting his ashes," Winston replied, putting his drink away. "I may not have been a good father, but I did care for Finnick." He looked inside where he saw Kyu tearing up as he continued to speak to the body behind the casket. "And my Grandson."

"You are not bringing him into _your_ world," Nick growled, eyes narrowed and teeth showing. "You do, and I'll shoot you right here and now."

"You do that and ever assassin in the world will be after you and your rabbit friend for the rest of your lives, but relax I'm not going to," Winston answered as he twirled his cane. "Besides, I know your unarmed."

"Just getting my point across." Nick closed his eyes and sighed. "Any leads on the remaining three?"

"No, and I'm working them already to the brink," Winston replied before slowly heading down the stairs. "I should go. Don't want to give Jack an early hint that I'm not as dead as he thinks I am."

"That Savage guy?" Nick asked, eyebrow raised. "I thought he was convinced you were dead this time?"

"Jack will never be fully convinced until he personally kills me," Winston chuckled, looking back with an amusing smirk. "He'll figure out that body he buried is just a plastic copy. Trust me, he's that obsessed with getting me."

Nick didn't say anything. He just shook his head and went back in as the Remen family walked towards him, finished with their prayers. "Thanks again for coming. I guess you should be heading home."

"Officer Wilde, why don't you come with us to dinner?" Mrs. Remen asked with a sweet smile. "It's the least we can do."

Blushing, Nick replied, "You don't have-"

"Come on, Uncle Nick! You can tell me stories of your adventures!" Kyu begged, holding his hand while giving one of the best puppy eyed looks Nick had ever seen.

 _Damn, he's mastered it. Not even I did at his age,_ Nick thought with a proud smile. "Alright, quit the Bambi act. I'm in."

* * *

Arriving back at the Police Station, Bogo asked for an update onto the looks of Bronn and Ellis' computers, phones, and personal belongings. Judy asked to be there when he got the reports and they calmly talked for awhile until they arrived. Going through it together, the two noticed that the two were quite active on social media, but there was nothing to indicate any racist behavior.

"Nothing harmful on their Furbook or Tweeter accounts. No anti-predator dogma, no angry remarks about certain predator races, no talks of murder." Judy said, reading the reports. "A lot of them were more focused on their group off friends and the PPP."

"We should talk to each of their friends who are connected to the PPP. Specifically, anyone who fits our suspect descriptions. What about online chats?" Chief Bogo asked, switching one paper for another.

"Well, besides Skyape and Dogcord, the only other chat they had active focus on was the PPP's private chat for its members. We're going to have to get a court order for all three of them," Judy sighed, hating how they kept getting stonewalled from legality. However, her eyes widened as she stood up with a big smile on her face. "Chief! The text messages! Both Bronn and Ellis got texts from some one named _MuzYa341_ _who gave notices on when to meet, what their target was, and what to bring."_

"Does it have a number?" Chief Bogo asked, eyes raised up.

"Oh, it does," Judy said, smirking.

* * *

Upon hearing a knock on the door, Judy quickly opened it to find Nick smiling just outside her apartment. "Forgot my keys. Mind if I stay here for the night?"

"Seriously, that was the best you could think of?" Judy snorted as she opened the door fully to let him in. Nick shrugged as he walked in and sat on the couch. "How was the funeral?"

"Quiet. Simple. Kyu and his adopted parents joined so we went out for dinner," Nick answered, closing his eyes while smirking. "In fact, I adored him so much with our cases he says he wants to be a police officer like us."

"Maybe he'll be the second fox to join the police force someday?" Judy teased as she walked over and sat beside him. Nick quickly put an arm around her neck and drew her in for a kiss. She placed her paws on his chest and let him explore her mouth like the good little bunny she was. Moaning, she felt his teeth slowly nibble on her neck, melting her with his touch as he lowered his paws to her waist. He slowly got on top of her, but before he could take her clothes off, she stopped him and smiled. "Chief and I managed to get a look at Ellis and Bronn's texts. We found something… or rather someone…"

Nick's eyes widened before grinning. "Is this going to make me love you until you're a rag on the floor?"

Judy's answer indeed lead to such a feeling that night.

* * *

Thankfully, the judge granted the arrest warrant at lighting speed. Nick made a note to buy Neko a drink when he was free next time. According to social media, the suspect was with his family at a basketball game charity that was being held by the Public Prey Protection Club for disabled prey types who were injured by predator assaults. Not wanting to take any chances, nearly the entire first district of officers arrived just outside of the borrowed school gym the club was using. Nick and Judy were leading the charge, guns holstered while other officers made for the exits just incase the suspect tried to run.

The two smirking partners made their way towards the front entrance of the gym, noticing the large crowd that was attending the game. From what it looked like, the PPP club of St. Jane was up against P.S. 192. Cheers were up in the air as the former scored a three pointer, but none of the officers paid any attention to it. Instead, they focused on looking for their target.

"There he is!" Judy yelled, pointing towards a certain zebra family that was in the front row seat. By now, the attendants were starting to notice the large number of cops entering the building as whispers began to spread. Some were already taking out their phones and recording, no doubt hoping to get a scoop of something going down.

Nick, Judy, and six other officers were with them as they stood before Dominic Stripes, his son, and his wife who were all very confused by this. Dominic stood up with a glare in his eyes as he focuses on the officers before putting his eyes on Nick. "Is there a reason you are interrupting this charity event, officers?" Nick just continued to smirk. "Well?"

"Sorry, I'm just taking in the moment before I do this," he forced Dominic to turn around and put his arms behind his back before cuffing him. "Dominic Stripes, you are under arrest."

"What! What right do you-" He was cut off when Judy shoved the arrest warrant in his face.

"This is the right we have. Take him away," Judy ordered as the other officers took him away while reading him his rights. "Not a muzzle but that felt good."

"Damn good," Nick replied, nodding.

"What is going on! Why is my dad under arrest!" Zachary asked, looking worried. His mother looked ready to faint, but some nearby friends were holding on to her. Already people were flashing cameras or shouting in large tones as to why their organizations leader was being taken away like a criminal.

"We found that Ellis and Bronn were taking orders from him to kill and attack praetor kids," Nick said, narrowing his eyes. "We're taking your father down, and we're going to bring his little attack squad down with him."

"This is insane! My dad's innocent! He would never do this!" Zachary shouted, but the officers ignored him while others were voicing their opinion too. The other officers were keeping a few unruly ones away with their muscles, but it looked like violence would become a factor if they didn't get out of there.

* * *

Thankfully, there weren't any riots going on at the school, but already a protest group was forming outside of the First Precinct demanding that Dominic Stripes be set free. Clawhauser had already called back up from the Second and Third Precincts to hold back the crowd, especially when some counter protesters arrived demanding justice for the slain predator children.

"Hard to believe it's only been four hours since we arrest him," a tiger officer replied as he, along with the other cops, watched the news on the tv screens nearby. A gazelle reporter for Creature News Network was interviewing a predator who was demanding that the police drag Dominic Stripes and his fellow PPP heads out to face justice for their racist crimes. Nearby another one from Vox News was reporting a small scuffle from two sets of prey groups fighting with one accusing the other side of betraying what Zootopia means.

"It's not as bad as the Nighthowler incident, but still…" Judy mused as she rubbed her arms.

"All the more reason to get a confession out of Dominic as soon as possible and find out who these three other kids are," Chief Bogo replied, walking over with a file containing the text messages. He turned to Nick and Judy and hand it out. "I think we've given Mr. Strips long enough to stew alone. Wanna take a crack at him?"

"I'll do it," Nick said, taking the files. Judy looked at him with concern before he looked at her with a pleading gaze in his eyes. "I need to do this, Carrots. Please?"

Judy hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Alright but try not to get to rough on him."

"Relax, Carrots. I'm sure we'll get along like oil and water," Nick replied as he smirked and walked away.

A wolf officer raised his eyebrow. "Oil and water get along?"

"No," Judy said, shaking her head. "They don't."

"The moment I get out of here? I'm going to have your badge. And your partner's badge. Maybe even get this entire station torn down!"

Nick, to his credit, just leaned against the wall while watching Dominic continue his barrage of 'injustices' that was being done against him. The former thief just watched the red faced zebra clop around in anger while screaming threats that Nick felt no fear from. A long time ago, he was once afraid of this zealot, but now he could see him at last for what he was: just a simple zebra who had a grieving hatred for his daughter's death.

"And furthermore! I will see to it that you are all sued for racial discrimination, false arrest, and persecution of prey types to favor predators like you have been doing this entire investigation while failing to protect innocent prey children like you did with Bronn and Ellis!" Taking a few deep breaths, Dominic held his ground, glaring at Nick before he took a glass of nearby water and drank it all in one gulp. "You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?"

"Hmm? Sorry, I was just waiting for the baby to stop screaming. You ready to act like an adult now?" Nick asked, grinning.

"Oh, go to hell you dirty fox," Dominic grumbled as he sat down, folding his hooves. "Why am I under arrest?"

"Because we know you're the one whose been ordering the Predator Hunters to kill innocent civilians," Nick answered as he sat down, opening the folder.

"Oh, I see how it is," Dominic smirked as he glared at Nick. "You can't catch your killer so you're going to blame me for it all? Because you're so terrible at your job you have to go after the guy who hurt you in your childhood just for petty revenge? Must look great on the new sites, am I right? Defender of Prey Rights arrested for killing predators."

"And preys," Nick pointed out. "Bronn's death is on your hooves too."

Slamming his hoof on the table, Dominic whined angrily before glaring at a passive Nick. "Don't. Ever. Accuse me. Of killing an innocent child." He slowly sat down, looking murderous. "I swear, _Officer_ Wilde, when I get out of here, I will ruin your life with everything that I am."

"You did that when we were kids," Nick growled, showing his teeth. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing this for revenge but for justice for all the innocent lives you've killed. You being the mastermind behind this is just icing on the cake for me."

"Justice? There is no justice in Zootopia," Dominic grumbled, lowering his gaze to the floor. "I realized there was no justice when I kept hearing about predators getting scot free with their crimes because of a corrupted justice system already composed of fellow predators. I realized it when most of the richest individuals in this city who work the highest paying jobs are the predators. I realized it too late when the bastard who killed my daughter got probation, and she continued to remain dead."

Nick sighed as she closed his eyes. _Always back to the daughter._

"Look, I get that your daughter's death was a tragic accident that hurt you and your family. But you're blaming every predator in the world for something that happened because one out of millions decided to drive drunk that day," Nick replied. "If making them feel your pain by ordering your personal hit squad to kill their children is your way of getting revenge, then you are no better than the scum you hate so much."

"What proof do you even have that I did this?"

"Does the name _MuzYa341_ _sound familiar?"_

"No, why should it?" Dominic asked, eyebrow raised.

"Because this person was texting to Bronn and Ellis directions on where to meet, who to attack, and what to bring." Nick put down every text they were able to get from the phones. "We traced the number of the text and it turns out they all came from a single phone. A phone in your name."

"Impossible," Dominic snorted, crossing his arms. "I personally never knew Bronn or Ellis until you arrested them. Nor did I send any text messages on my phone." He took out his phone and shoved it onto the table. "Have a look."

"We'll have our tech guys go over it, I can assure you that," Nick replied, taking the phone. "But regardless, the number of the phone is in your name, your address, and you pay its phone bill." He handed over the data sheet and Dominic stared at it for a good long while, his face hidden behind the paper. Yet Nick was able to see his hoof shake a bit as he read it.

Putting the paper down, the zebra was starting to sweat a little before he took in a deep breath. "I want a lawyer."

"A lawyer wanting a lawyer? I'm sure there's a joke of it somewhere," Nick replied as he got up and walked out of the interrogation room.

Walking into the watcher room, Nick saw Chief Bogo and Judy waiting for him. "How did I do?"

"Pretty good," the chief said. "Getting him to lawyer up means he's hiding something." He looked through the glass and saw the once calm yet angry zebra pacing around with a worried look on his face. "I think he knows he's screwed."

"Well, we just need the names of the remaining kids behind this. Maybe we'll get lucky and these kids will turn themselves in-"

The door slammed open as Clawhauser, gasping for breath, managed to cry out, "Shots fired… at… Gunner's Corner!"

* * *

By the time Judy and Nick arrived, the place already a crime scene with officers and CSI at work. Judy and Nick walked inside where they noticed a few guns they previously saw were now missing along with a lot of ammo cases. Nearby, there was body hidden under a white sheet. Judy walked over and lifted it up, wincing upon seeing Keith Blackstripes dead with a bullet in his head. "Where's his son, Kaiden?"

"We didn't find anybody else, but there are lot of empty guns and bullets," a nearby officer, a female black cat answered with her claws to her waist. "No forced entry, but it looks like at least three others did this. We also tried looking at the security system, but all the data was deleted."

"How did Keith get taken down? He's got plenty of weapons to defend himself with," Nick asked, looking around at the sight of missing weapons. _With the guns they have now they can take down an entire street complex._

"We found him roped up and there looks to be a large bruise against his temple. I guess they knocked him out when he wasn't looking, tied him up, and shot him afterwards," the feline officer answered.

Judy got up, paw clenched. "This wasn't a break in."

"You think Kaiden did this? Would he really kill his own father?" Nick asked, frowning.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that our hunters are now seriously armed which means they're going to plan something big," Judy replied.

The question was what?


End file.
